Rep. Jefferson’s Files Seized Under Eminent Domain
From Scott Ott:
Citing the recent Supreme Court eminent domain decision, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales today said the FBI was “operating within the law” when it raided the Congressional office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-LA, over the weekend.
During a bribery and influence peddling probe, Rep. Jefferson allegedly accepted $100,000 from an FBI informant, and hid most of it in his freezer.
The attorney general said the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in last year’s eminent domain case gives the government broad legal rights to take property.
“We plan to use those files for what the court calls a ‘public purpose’,” said Mr. Gonzales. “Of course, with Rep. Jefferson in there, we could have made the case that the office was blighted. But the law no longer requires that.”
In unrelated news, office supply stores in the Washington D.C. area reportedly sold out of paper shredders early this week.
HT: Scrapple Face