J$P Instant Transcript! Did the feds violate the constitution by raiding a Congressman's office? The Judge rules.

From The Big Story, May 22 2006:

JOHN GIBSON [FOX NEWS]: Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano, author of the New York Times bestseller The Constitution in Exile. Did the feds violate the constitution by raiding a Congressman's office?

JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO [FOX NEWS SENIOR JUDICIAL ANALYST]: No. They did it exactly according to the book, John. They presented a 150-page affidavit to a federal judge. They were there is the judge's office to swear to the accuracy of the affidavit and to answer any questions that he had. And then they actually put into a place a group of FBI agents and federal prosecutors, who don't know anything about the case, to examine the documents that came out of the Congressman's office to make sure it's only documents specified in the search warrant, and not documents to have anything to do with his job as a Congressman. That additional layer of protection was put in there in anticipation of the type of charge that Speaker Gingrich has made.

GIBSON: If the executive branch could never interfere with the legislative branch under a separation of powers argument, there never could be the arrest of a crooked Congressman, could there?

NAPOLITANO: Oh absolutely, that's correct. I mean, he could have extraordinary evidence of misdeeds in his office. The money that Michael Barone was talking about, the $90,000 that looked like lasagna, that was in his house. What they went for in his office was supporting documentation. The allegation is that he was paid $100,000 by a business. And in return he lobbied the government of Ghana to hire the business. He used his official stationery, his official phone, his official position as a member of Congress to lobby the country of Ghana. So the money didn't come from Ghana. The money came from these businesspeople to corrupt, to influence his work as a Congressman.

GIBSON: You'll take it up with Newt later?

NAPOLITANO: I will take it up with Newt later. This time, the feds were right.