Washington – An unusual FBI raid of a Democratic congressman’s office over the weekend prompted complaints Monday from leaders in both parties, who said the tactic was unduly aggressive and may have breached the constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government.
Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who is at the center of a 14-month investigation for allegedly accepting bribes for promoting business ventures in Africa, held a news conference denying any wrongdoing and denouncing the raid as an “outrageous intrusion.” Jefferson, who has not been charged with a crime, vowed to seek re-election in November.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said that Senate and House counsels would review the raid.
In scores of past cases of alleged congressional wrongdoing, federal prosecutors and FBI agents have most commonly sought to issue subpoenas for documents rather than conducting an impromptu raid on congressional property, legal experts said.
At issue, they said, is the “speech or debate” clause in the Constitution, which was aimed at shielding lawmakers from intimidation by the executive branch and has been interpreted broadly by the courts throughout history.
