Just when you thought it was safe!

Remember Mark Geragos, esteemed lawyer to Winona Ryder and let us not forget his innocent wife and son killer client Scott Peterson. Well, Mr. Geragos is now associated with the House invoking their right to privilege a little thing called the "speech and debate" clause. This is comparable to "Executive Privilege".

For more than a year, House Democrats and Republicans have waged a separation-of-powers battle of their own against the DoJ, with the House general counsel increasingly invoking the Constitution’s speech and debate clause to push back against public corruption cases implicating several members.

Mr. Geragos is representing Brent Wilkes, the defense contractor accused of bribing former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Geragos subpoenaed lawmakers and they have asserted their "speech & debate" clause.

Below is excerpts from article in TheHill.

The ‘cleanest Congress in history’ should not be using the speech or debate clause to impede House staffers from testifying about congressional corruption,” CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan said. “It is the people who need protection from corrupt members of Congress, not corrupt members who need protection from the Justice Department.”

Sloan said she has witnessed an increased use of the speech and debate clause to protect members from DoJ corruption probes since the FBI raided Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) office last year. Both parties viewed the raid, the first ever on a congressional office, as an outrage and a violation of the separation of powers.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/amidwhite-house-clash-house-asserts-its-own-rights-2007-11-07.html

JMCO = Just My Cynical Opinion

Okay, so it appears that the Congress in given battles with an inscrutable White House and DoJ are playing dirty and invoking little known rules in the House.

I have a suggestion for our Corporate Congress - Just Say No (thank you Nancy Reagan). Maybe this White House, DoJ and Supreme Court would stop this unilateral presidential power grab!

If Congress would just start to play dirty with this evil White House by lets say: impeachment, filing inherent contempt charges against Rove, Gonzales, Miers and Bolton, don't confirm Mukasey, charge the Blackwater contractors with murder 17 counts. I am sure I could think of more action items, but that is it for now.