Strange String of Events

Some seemingly connected and seemingly not connected events occurred this week that have me puzzled.

I may not be aware of all of the events so if anyone has any further information please leave a comment and I will add it to this post.

William Jefferson’s house and Congressional Office were raided by the FBI. We have been told that they found ninety thousand dollars in his freezer inside some frozen vegetable boxes. We do not know what was removed from his office.

Following the raid of his office several members of Congress including Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House voiced strong objections to the Executive Branch doing searches of Congressional Offices because it is a violation of the Separation of Powers.

The next day ABC says they have been told by unknown sources that Dennis Hastert is being investigated. Hastert claims their “source” is the Department of Justice.

Without explanation George W. Bush seals the records on the files seized in Jefferson’s office for forty five days.

Alone these events are curious enough.

On Friday “someone” says they may have heard gunshots in the Rayburn Congressional Office Building’s parking garage. The Capital Police shut down the entire building for five hours and told everyone in the building to lock themselves in their offices while they conducted a search. I have been in that building. The doors are solid wood. Who is doing what on the other side of those doors is impossible to see or hear. It is also known that not all members of Congress or their staff members were in their offices at the time.

I don’t believe in coincidences. Something is going on. I just do not know what.

Just after posting this i found this little gem.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department signaled to the White House this week that the nation's top three law-enforcement officials would resign or face firing rather than return documents seized from a Democratic congressman's office in a bribery investigation, administration sources familiar with the discussions said.
The possibility of resignations by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; his deputy, Paul McNulty; and FBI Director Robert Mueller was communicated to the White House by several Justice officials in tense negotiations over the fate of the materials taken from Rep. William Jefferson's office, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Washington Post

Ok, now i get it. The shutdown and sweep of the office building may very well have been exactly what it seemed to be.

After talking to a friend tonight and I have more information. It seems Hastert put his foot down and told Bush if the records were not returned Hastert would lead the charge in Congress to oppose the Administration at every turn. Bush froze the records for 45 days to try to come up with a solution. This does not sit well with Gonzales and he is threatening to resign.

Like my buddy Nate says, things are unravelling for Bush much like they were for Nixon just before he resigned. There is a growing undercurrent of disastisfaction with the President among some very strong Republicans. How much longer Karl Rove can keep his finger in the levie before the tide washes this group right out of D.C. only time will tell.