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Feds Treat Us Like Common Criminals, House GOP Complains
Congressional Republicans are complaining of “reports of wiretaps, searches on Congressional grounds, open-ended document requests and demands to interview committee aides” coming from federal prosecutors, Roll Call reports this morning.

“A number of Members are very concerned about the way the Justice Department is investigating,” [House Administration Chairman Vernon] Ehlers [(R-MI)] said, adding that the general impression among some Members is that prosecutors want to “get” a Congressman.

“There’s a feeling that this would be a notch in their belt if they could get a Congressman,” Ehlers said.

To date, one former House Republican is in jail, another has been booted from his CIA perch, one has resigned from Congress and at least two current members reportedly are under investigation, all relating to corruption probes.

Still, the GOP valiantly resists reform. “Despite federal probes and promises to change, the Republican-controlled House continues to draft spending bills setting aside billions of dollars for home-state projects without disclosing the sponsor,” a practice known as “earmarking” which has been at the root of all current corruption scandals, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Roll Call, WSJ)

BellSouth Says It Gave NSA No Call Records
A report last week by USA Today identified BellSouth, along with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., as companies that had complied with an NSA request to turn over tens of millions of customer phone records after the 2001 terror attacks. “Based on our review to date, we have confirmed no such contract exists and we have not provided bulk customer calling records to the NSA,” the Atlanta-based regional Bell said in a statement. (AP)

Congress Resists Invesigators’ Document Requests
Committees are refusing to comply with a March request from the Justice Department to turn over close to 10,000 documents for review as part of its investigation into corruption on the Hill. (NYTimes)

Specter Offers Compromise On Settling Legality of NSA Surveillance
As a sop to White House supporters, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has offered to restrict lawsuits over the NSA’s secret domestic spying programs to those who learn they are targets. Specter’s compromise also appears to open the door for legislation which would legalize the program. (The Hill)

FBI Says It Uses Legal Means to Obtain Phone Records for Journos
Carter said a report published on ABC News’ Web site left a misleading impression that authorities are tracking reporters’ calls in an effort to root out confidential sources. The ABC story said the government, in an effort to trace leaks, was “tracking the phone numbers” that reporters call. “Where the records of a private person are sought, they may only be obtained through established legal process,” Carter said. The FBI can seek warrants and subpoenas from judges and grand juries, either through traditional courts or a secret court established for espionage and terrorism investigations. The bureau also has the power to seek subscribers’ telephone and Internet records without approval of a judge or grand jury in espionage and terrorism cases by issuing a National Security Letter. (AP)

FCC Chief Calls for Probe of Phone Companies
The Federal Communications Commission should investigate whether phone companies are violating federal communications law by providing calling records to the National Security Agency as part of an anti-terrorism program, an FCC commissioner said Monday. (AP)

Jefferson Will Not Resign
Here’s the most interesting bit from Roll Call’s reaction to Rep. William Jefferson’s statement yesterday:

An aide to a senior CBC member called Jefferson’s statement “strong” and “appropriate,” and noted that Jefferson is well aware of the extensive secret recording and surveillance work that federal investigators have conducted to make their case against him. Jefferson “knows what they know,” the aide said. “And with this kind of statement, it’s not like he can come back to his constituents in two weeks and say, ‘Whoops, I made a mistake with that, and now I’m going to plead guilty.'”

(Roll Call)

In Ethics Panel’s Travel Rules, Some See Sign of Partisan Thaw
The ethics committee late last week quietly released the outline of a voluntary pre-screening process for private trips accepted by House employees. The outline, which offices and trip sponsors were still digesting yesterday, is aimed at clarifying an amendment to this month’s House lobbying and ethics bill that required the ethics panel to recommend changes to the chamber’s travel rules by June 15 and follow up with a permanent certification process. The bipartisan deal on private travel comes as both parties have exchanged bitter salvos on lobbying reform. (The Hill)

Most Bush Holdings Listed as Real Estate
President Bush and Laura Bush had assets totaling $7.2 million to $20.9 million last year, disclosure forms released on Monday showed. Last year, they reported assets of $7.8 million to $18.1 million. (NY Times)

Mollohan Says Reviewing Financial Statements
West Virginia Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan, under scrutiny for real estate investments, said on Monday he was checking his past financial disclosure statements for accuracy…. The Washington Post reported on Monday that Mollohan planned to say that he inaccurately reported loans and income from his real estate holdings on federal disclosure forms. But the lawmaker only said that he was checking the forms to make sure they were accurate. (Reuters)

Calvert Denies Wrongdoing
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) criticized reports yesterday that he may have used his position in Congress to enrich himself by pumping up the value of land he purchased through earmarking. “It’s nowhere near anything that has anything to do with the federal government,” Calvert said of his land deals, which have netted him several hundred thousand dollars in profit. (Riverside Press-Enterprise)

D.C. Exec Admits Lying about Contributions
-A former hospital company executive pleaded guilty Monday to making a false statement about $50,000 in illegal corporate campaign contributions over a five-year period. Donald Boucher was formerly vice president of Lifecare. (AP)

Many a Bill Has Now Lost a Potent Ally
Tom DeLay’s resignation, which is set for June 9, could bolster DeLay’s opponents on space exploration and Cuba-related matters, among other hot-button issues. Some believe his absence on the floor will be felt when members register their votes on DeLay’s pet bills – a few of which run counter to the positions of his Republican colleagues. (The Hill)

318 ex-lawmakers are now lobbyists, report says
Political data-tracker PoliticalMoneyLine released a report yesterday that found there are 318 former members who now lobby former colleagues. (The Hill)

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