May 25, 2006
MISSING THE ARSONIST FOR THE TREES
Hastert Lashes Out at Justice Dept (Laurie Kellman, AP, 5/25/06)
House Speaker Dennis Hastert accused the Justice Department Thursday of trying to intimidate him in retaliation for criticizing the FBI's weekend raid on a congressman's office, escalating a searing battle between the executive and legislative branches of government.Hastert's assertion of a constitutional privilege against the search and seizure of a Congressman's papers in the course of a criminal investigation is ridiculous. That does not excuse the wrong being done by what appears to be yet another example of the permanent government using anonymous leaks to punish politicians and undercut policy. These leaks, too, should be traced to their source and the leakers fired and, if possible, prosecuted. Leaking from an investigation or, even worse, lying that an investigation is in progress, is a particularly vile way of ruining a person's reputation without giving them any way to fight back. (Notice how the story spins this as an attack on the Justice Department, when Hastert is, in fact, attacking anonymous leakers who are violating Justice Department rules to create anonymous mischief.) Posted by David Cohen at May 25, 2006 5:42 PM"This is one of the leaks that come out to try to, you know, intimidate people," Hastert said on WGN radio Thursday morning. "We're just not going to be intimidated on it."
The Illinois Republican, in his interview with the Chicago radio station, was responding to an ABC News report that quoted an unnamed law enforcement source as saying that he was "in the mix" of the Justice Department's investigation into influence peddling by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
"We are not going to dignify or speculate about the motives of anonymous sources providing inaccurate information," said Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.
Within minutes of that report late Wednesday, the department issued the first of two denials that it was investigating Hastert. The speaker demanded a retraction from ABC News, which stood by its story. Hastert on Thursday threatened to sue the network and reporters and executives for libel and defamation.
If there was even a leak at all, forgive me if I don't fully trust ABC news's anonymous sources.
Posted by: Shelton at May 25, 2006 6:00 PMWhere is Maxwell Smart when you need him?
Posted by: ghostcat at May 25, 2006 6:55 PMBush just ordered a sequestering of the seized documents for 45 days while all the "offended parties" huddle to see how to put the best face on this.
Your controversy of the week is now over.
Posted by: Brad S at May 25, 2006 7:19 PMNot my controversy. My controversy is never-ending.
Posted by: David Cohen at May 25, 2006 7:24 PMThis is a blogosphere story, and nothing more. Nobody cares.
But it is fun to play anonymous sources, isn't it? I've got one--a senior official told me that the House & Senate are going to pass a bill out of conference committee granting amnesty to all illegal aliens who work on drilling in ANWR!
Posted by: b at May 25, 2006 7:35 PMDavid Cohen:
Bingo. This sort of thing is a continuing outrage.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 25, 2006 7:44 PMThis is way more than a blogosphere story. It reinforces a growing sense that KAOS reigns in Washington. Folks are paying attention.
(But I do find it fascinating that this kerfuffle pops up just as the immigration debate reaches its crescendo, with Bush leaning hard on House Republicans.)
Posted by: ghostcat at May 25, 2006 7:45 PMJudging by the blog and talk radio reaction to Hastert's stance, it seems like all the goodwill the House has gotten from some of the right for their hard-line immigration stance took all of 36 hours to be frittered away by the claim of congressional privlege in the Jefferson case.
Posted by: John at May 25, 2006 10:06 PMFunny thing about that.
Posted by: ghostcat at May 25, 2006 10:18 PMghostcat;
So you think Bush backed the bribe-o-philes in exchange for some legislative support on the immigration issue?
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at May 26, 2006 12:07 AMYUP
Posted by: Sandy P at May 26, 2006 9:39 AMNSA leak FBI now investigating Congressmen.
Posted by: Touase at May 26, 2006 10:19 AMSo did Haster fall on the sword on purpose, to help out Bush, or is he just stupid? Because this presumed Bush move only works because of Hastert's original faux paus. Had Hastert played it as "we object to the invasion, we'll give it a pass this time but we need to have better procedures in the future", Bush wouldn't have had an opening.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at May 26, 2006 10:47 AMWho'da thunk it? Bush, the dumb bunny, engages in Byzantine intrigues, manipulating his puppets with Machiavellian schemes. It's enough to make one cry out in delight.
Posted by: erp at May 26, 2006 11:19 AMAOG,
Or, during this "cooling off period," Bush is going to casually remind a whole bunch of House Republicans that Al Gonzales' DOJ has them by the short-and-curly-ones, and that the only way to prevent Al from spilling some more beans is to vote the proper way on the immigration bill.
Posted by: Brad S at May 26, 2006 11:57 AM