Jefferson Ruling Quiets Pelosi, HastertDo you remember back in May when Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) came together to demand that the FBI return the documents to Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-LA) office? Crazy times!
Over time, and in the wake of yesterday’s very clear ruling, I wonder if that still seems like such a great idea.
Is it just me, or has there been a shift in tone?…
Yesterday, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had been a vocal critic of the raid, offered a measured response to the ruling.
Pelosi said in a statement that “no one is above the law” and that congressional members should not be allowed to use their offices to conceal criminal activity. But she added that “this particular search could have been conducted in a manner that fully protected the ability of the prosecutors to obtain the evidence needed to do their job while preserving constitutional principles.”
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) declined to comment because the case is pending. The general counsel for the House, who had filed motions challenging the constitutionality of the raids, also declined to comment.
