Washington – House Speaker Dennis Hastert complained directly to President Bush on Tuesday about the FBI’s unprecedented raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s office, while officials said senior Democrats worked to ease the lawmaker out of a powerful Ways and Means Committee assignment, at least temporarily.
“Obviously we are taking note of Speaker Hastert’s statements,” said White House press secretary Tony Snow after the Illinois Republican spoke with Bush at the White House.
FBI agents raided the Louisiana Democrat’s office over the weekend and issued an affidavit saying they had earlier discovered $90,000 in cash wrapped and stashed in the freezer of his home.
“No member is above the law, but the institution has a right to protect itself against the executive department going into our offices,” said House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.
Jefferson has not been indicted and has denied wrongdoing. But his predicament spread concern through the upper echelons of House Democrats, who have vowed to campaign in this fall’s midterm elections against what they call a Republican “culture of corruption.”
Officials said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had discussed Jefferson’s situation with several fellow senior lawmakers and there was a consensus that he should step aside, preferably voluntarily, at least until his legal situation is clarified.
The officials who described the developments did so on condition of anonymity, citing the delicacy of the situation.
