May 30, 2006

WSJ Wrong on Raid

Paul Gigot and the Wall Street Journal editorial board get it wrong for once. This time with regards to the FBI raiding Congressman William Jefferson's office. They oppose the raid mentioning the Speech and Debate Clause multiple times. Yet they don't explain their reasoning. They don't even bother to quote from the constitution. Here's the portion they referred to:

They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

The WSJ editorial board are conservatives. It's safe to assume they're constitutional originalists. I see no where in the text about Congressmen's offices protected from search warrants. The raid of Congressman Jefferson's office had to do with a bribery investigation not preventing him from speaking in the House or casting a vote.

"Raiding Congress" [via Michelle Malkin]

UPDATE: McQ at QandO praises Sen. Frist for not opposing the raid.

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