A mess in the House
If you missed Andrew McCarthy's piece yesterday at National Review Online and reporter Byron York's piece today, then you really ought to check them out.
The picture painted by the two articles is one of the House as an institution believing it is above the law. McCarthy points out that the House can either Impeach (unnecessarily legalistic) or simply expel accused Rep. William Jefferson -- it will undoubtedly do neither. Why?
Because it's coming out now that the House itself knew of the months old subpoena for evidence of Jefferson's corruption and advised Jefferson staffers they had no need to turn over the requested documents to investigators.
This is all about protecting their perceived privilege regardless of whether that means they're ensuring the continued employment of people who have betrayed the public trust.
This isn't just Republicans, this is bipartisan. And it's a sad day in our republic when the only thing the two parties can agree upon is that their own need to be above the law.
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You tend to wonder how much of this has to do with two items: Dollar Bill's being a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Katrina relief. One has to figure that with both the disaster and with Jesse/Al and other hucksters breathing down their necks, that go-along-to-get-long uber alles would be the best of a range of bad options.
Notice, BTW, that no one in the House in 2002 had any problem with expelling Jim Traficant (D), who must be sitting in a prision in OH having a good laugh over this.