So, a federal judge has upheld the raid and seizure of documents from the office of CAFTA 15 Rep. William Jefferson. I’ve been torn about this episode from the beginning.

On the one hand, no one likes the specter of giving the FBI any more power to raid offices. BUT, the argument that the raid violated the separation of powers between the executive branch and the legislative branch seemed a little weak when we are dealing with charges of official corruption. And, let’s be honest, since Bill J. had $90,000 in cash stuffed into his freezer, there was more than a bit of a hint that the allegations were strong enough and had very little to do with trying to intimidate the Congressional branch. After all, Bill J., by voting for CAFTA, was doing the Administration’s bidding. Why would you want to silence a voice like that?

Maybe what you need is a piece of legislation that says that a special master or judge must review any warrants issued to raid Congressional offices to guard against searches designed for purely political purposes. Sort of like the FISA court which the Administration goes to for warrants to wiretap. Ooooppppssss…maybe that isn’t the best example.

Anyway, the ruling does send a clear signal to Congress: if you’ve got piles of cash in your freezer or in a shoebox and you can’t prove it’s from your winnings in Vegas, time to move it to a more secure place.