Anger after FBI raid of House member’s office

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Jefferson resolute
“I will not give up a committee assignment that is so vital to New Orleans at this crucial time for any uncertain, long-term political strategy,” he added.

Away from the Capitol, Jefferson filed a motion that mirrored parts of Pelosi and Hastert’s statement. In it, he asked U.S. District Chief Judge Thomas Hogan to order the FBI to return all of the documents taken from his office during the 15-hour search. Hogan, appointed by the President Reagan, was the judge who last Thursday issued the warrant authorizing the search.

Hastert on Tuesday complained directly to Bush that the raid violated the Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.

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Justice Department officials said there was no similar outcry when FBI agents searched a federal judge’s chambers in a bribery investigation in the early 1990s. In that case, U.S. District Judge Robert Collins of Louisiana was convicted of bribery, after agents found marked bills in his office.

The Collins case is the only one in which a federal judge’s office has been searched, the department said.

Gonzales seeks middle ground
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying, “We have a great deal of respect for the Congress as a coequal branch of government.” But he also defended the search: “We have an obligation to the American people to pursue the evidence where it exists.”

Justice Department officials said the decision to search Jefferson’s office was made in part because he refused to comply with a subpoena for documents last summer. Jefferson reported the subpoena to the House on Sept. 15, 2005.

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