White House, Hastert Negotiate over Jefferson DocsI didn’t think it possible, but it seems like the FBI really might be forced to hand over the documents they seized Saturday from Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-LA) office. From the AP:
…not long after House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi demanded on Wednesday the bureau return documents it took, White House aides were in talks with Hastert’s staff about the possible transfer of the material, perhaps to the House ethics committee, according to several Republican officials.The goals of any transfer, they said, would be to deny the documents both to prosecutors and to Rep. Willliam 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.
So, Hastert finally found a use for the House ethics committee: as a place to store documents until real investigators can go through them.