Posted on 07/13/2006 5:48:49 PM PDT by Libloather
Justice seeks end to delays in review of documents seized in raid
WASHINGTON The Justice Department today opposed further delays in the bribery investigation of Representative William Jefferson, saying the agency should be allowed to review documents seized in a search of the congressman's office.
On Monday, Chief U-S District Judge Thomas F. Hogan rejected requests from Jefferson and fellow lawmakers seeking the return of the material from the May raid on Capitol Hill. Jefferson is now seeking to delay the judge's ruling while he appeals.
Hogan dismissed arguments by Jefferson and a bipartisan group of House leaders that the raid violated the Constitution's protections against intimidation of elected officials.
At issue is whether a review of the seized documents can begin by an F-B-I "filter team" unconnected to the prosecution team looking into the bribery allegations. Jefferson says no one in the executive branch of government should examine the documents until the question of returning the material to Jefferson is resolved on appeal.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has directed that any review of documents by the filter team not begin for two weeks to allow Hogan to consider Jefferson's arguments for a delay pending an appeal.
BATON ROUGE -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco used her line-item veto authority this week to eliminate $450,000 in the state budget targeted for a pair of controversial charities with close ties to embattled U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and former New Orleans City Councilwoman Renee Gill Pratt.
Blanco cut $300,000 earmarked for Care Unlimited and $150,000 allocated to Orleans Metropolitan Housing, both of which have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after Gill Pratt steered taxpayer dollars and donated cars to the organizations just before leaving her post on the City Council. Gill Pratt now works for Care Unlimited.
The vetoes were among seven items totaling nearly $3 million zeroed out by Blanco from a record $26.7 billion state spending plan that includes nearly $8 billion for hurricane relief and millions of dollars in new spending for pay raises to teachers, college faculty, assistant district attorneys and other government workers.
Excerpted - http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-4/115279125499340.xml&coll=1
"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has directed that any review of documents by the filter team not begin for two weeks to allow Hogan to consider Jefferson's arguments for a delay pending an appeal."
Does anybody else get the feeling that Alberto Gonzales has not shown much testosterone since his appointment to AG?
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