An upshot of the Jefferson “cold cash in the freezer” case. Gonzo overstepped the bounds of interbranch comity to have the FBI toss a congressman’s office. At the time, I predicted (a) there would be a significant Speech and Debate defense against that and (b) that it was Gonzo and DoJ innoculating the Republican criminals in Congress against later searches and prosecution for their looting over the last decade or so.

So far, I’ve been proven right on (a), and it’s looking like I’m going to be proven right on (b).

Used to be that enterprising reporters, when confronted with a deal involving land swaps, would go down to the County (be it the courthouse, the clerk or the registry office) and pull the records on the respective parcels of property. One can tell an awful lot from the documents filed – they’re even organized such that one can see who sold what to whom, and then to whom that parcel went next. It’s called “Chain of title”.

After all, that’s how the whole Duke Cunningham thing got kicked over – the San Diego paper sent some reporter to look at the land deal in which Duke got a sweet mortgage for his (overvalued) house, and yadda yadda, it was all downhill from there.

Got the S.D. paper a Pulitzer, if I remember correctly.

More seriously, I expect McSame to invoke the Speech and Debate Clause to resist producing anything – that’s likely the hold-up on his producing anything to the FBI. Note that the FBI did not (at least as far as the excerpts reproduced above indicate) either issue and serve a subpoena (or NSL), nor did they get the grand jury to issue one. I’m, suspecting Renzi’s defense is likely to be “it only looks like bribery, but in reality it was preparing legislative action and therefore ‘not subject to being questioned in any other place’ under the Speech and Debate Clause”. Sort of a variant on the “this is how business is done in Congress” defense from (was it) Wilkes’ case. Remember, Duke never invoked it, instead taking one for the team by pleading without even seeking to make a deal on sentencing for his cooperation.

it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation

Clearly McCain has all the qualifications he needs to be the next President Bush.

[Another edition of simple answers to simple questions.]

I don’t have to give you anything. and you can’t make me.

I don’t care about being viewed as a lying cheating scandalous scumbag who has betrayed the public trust unpopular.

Talk to the hand.