Fat Hastert: "GET IN MY BELLY !!"
Posted on 05/25/2006 12:24:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - 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.
"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."
Asked later Thursday whether he thought he Justice Department retaliated against him with the leak, Hastert replied: "All I'm saying is, here are the dots. People can connect any dots they want to."
"I thought it was an interesting sequence of events," he added.
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.
"We will take any and all actions necessary to rectify the harm ABC has caused and to hold those at ABC responsible for their conduct," wrote Hastert's counsels, J. Randolph Evans and Stefan C. Passantino. The letter was addressed to network President David Westin and reporter Brian Ross.
"Our response to the letter is our reporting on the story," said ABC News Vice President Jeffrey Schneider.
Correspondent Brian Ross stood by his report, saying he has checked with his sources who say the story accurately represents the facts "as they know them."
"There's enough there for them (the FBI) to take a look at the speaker" and other members of Congress, Ross said in an interview.
Hastert aimed his broadsides at the Justice Department amid a swirl of recriminations on Capitol Hill, including warnings by some lawmakers of a voter backlash against members of Congress "trying to protect their own."
Hastert's aides, at the same time, were in talks with the White House about the possible transfer of material seized by the FBI during its weekend raid of the office of Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record), perhaps to the House ethics committee, according to several Republican officials.
A federal law enforcement official said no computers were taken during the search. Instead, "mirror images" were made of the contents of some computers in Jefferson's office, the official said on condition of anonymity because the items taken during the search remain under court seal
The goals of any transfer, they said, would be to deny the documents both to prosecutors and to Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat ensnared in a bribery investigation, until the legal issues surrounding the weekend search of his office are resolved. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the confidential nature of the discussions.
Historians said it was the first such search of a congressman's quarters in the more than two centuries since the first Congress convened.
The White House continued to try to keep its distance publicly, saying it acknowledged "the constitutional concerns" expressed.
The House Judiciary Committee chairman, GOP Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, announced a hearing next week, "Reckless Justice: Did the Saturday Night Raid of Congress Trample the Constitution?"
The Associated Press reported last November that Hastert for two years did not disclose his use of Abramoff's restaurant for a fundraiser just two weeks before he asked the Interior Department in a letter to reject a Louisiana Indian tribe's application for a casino license.
At the time, Abramoff was representing another tribe that opposed the casino. Hastert, who collected a total of $100,000 from Abramoff's and his tribal clients, blamed a paperwork oversight, filed the required disclosure and paid for the use of the restaurant.
___
AP Special Correspondent David Espo contributed to this report.
Hastert is a piece of crap. He tried numerous times to torpedo Coburn's Senate run in Oklahoma in addition to several other conservative GOP candidates in 2004.
That said, I don't see where it is a Constitutional crisis. I've read and re-read that section like a lot of you and nowhere does it say a Congress member's office is sacred and off-limits to law.
A caller today in the first hour of the Rush Limbaugh pointed out that Brian Ross was tossed at NBC several years ago for fabricating evidence in a story concerning pick up gas tank fires/explosions that occurred frequently in accidents.
Term limits are starting to look pretty good about now...
The whole Republican party is self destructing with leadership like this critter. Cover up for a crook of Jefferson's stature makes me think others have things to hide.
Ahh so Hastert got so upset because he is under investigation with Abramhoff, that explains that doesn't it?
Fat Hastert: "GET IN MY BELLY !!"
I agree, I fail to see the constitutional crisis argument either, the offer was made, the baiter took the bait, got caught, on tape , and cold handed so to speak. The law does not have to offer that person any special accommodations in the least , regardless who they represent or where they work.
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re:
Aren't we a fine example to fledging democracies?
Heck , for the Taiwanese, gubamint deliberations is full ocntact occasionally.. or how about the Texas dem reps that left town a couple years back.
This thread looks a lot like DU.
I think, but I'm not sure, that I heard Rush state a correction about that later on...
I never frequent there, make sure ya wiped your feet before ya came in here. ;-)
Lets investigate the investigators investigating the contressmen investigating investigations investigating ..................spam spam spam spam spam
I don't frequent there either.
Been there briefly once or twice.
This thread reminds me of it. Actually, I think I need to wipe my feet lately after being on FR.
Denny couldn't lead sailors to a whorehouse.
You are totally right. I'm through voting for anybody in these two parties.
Take a look at the Constitution Party; they are what a major party should be: concerned about our Republic. Enforcing the laws, cutting this incredible spending, and returning government to the people.
I am one voter, but we must make a start. The two parties simply don't work for the people. Stop voting for them!
What an appropiate tag-line! I've got to dig out more of Abe's quotations, that one's a gem!
"That Bitch set me up!"
You know, it could be the first time because, up until now, as crooked as they have been, no congressperson has ever stooped to using their office space to commit crimes -- because they had respect for the office.
I wish some reporter would do some real investigation and find out if there has ever been a previous REQUEST to get data by subpoena that was refused by the member.
If it weren't for the Chicago Machine, Hastert would be much more at home in the Senate; that's where all his heroes are.
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