GOP Squealing About House Office Search

If the GOP hadn't done enough to enrage the conservative base, Speaker Denny Hastert may just add fuel to the fire with his complaints to President Bush about the search of Congressman William Jefferson's office:

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) told President Bush yesterday that he is concerned the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) congressional office over the weekend was a direct violation of the Constitution.

Hastert raised concerns that the FBI’s unannounced seizure of congressional documents during a raid of Jefferson’s Rayburn office Saturday night violated the separation of powers between the two branches of government as they are defined by the Constitution.

“The Speaker spoke candidly with the president about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s raid over the weekend,” Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean said yesterday in confirming his boss’s remarks.

Hastert told reporters yesterday that he understands the reasons for the investigation but objected to the manner in which the raid was conducted.

“My opinion is they took the wrong path,” Hastert said. “They need to back up, and we need to go from there.”

When you read this story, you can't help but think that Hastert is more concerned with protecting congressional privilege than rooting out corrupt politicians. According to the blogs I've been reading, this is not playing well with the base.