The Privileged Class

[gilliam]

So I guess once you’re elected to Congress, you’re immune from drunk driving laws; you can stash the evidence that you’ve committed a crime in your office, because investigators aren’t allowed to search it; if you kill someone because you’ve got a lead foot and blew a stop sign, the taxpayers will cover your financial liability; and, we learn today, you can commit whatever Internet-related crimes you please, because the police aren’t allowed to search your computer.

Meanwhile, the same Congress that has immunized itself from much of the law is also responsible for the ever-expanding federal criminal code, which we can thank for our shamefully enormous and still-soaring prison population, which is by far and away the largest in the world.

reason.com/blog/show/122144.html

 

[steveandersen]

The privileges of Congress are set out mostly in Article 1 section 6 (unlike “executive privilege” which isn’t spelled out)

Congressional offices aren’t immune to search but traditionally section 6 has been interpreted that searches are conducted by or with the cooperation of the congressional police rather than a part of the executive branch. The founders were mindful of the abuses of the Tutors and Stuarts against legislators and ministers who crossed them so they added this to prevent bullying by the executive. (That was why there was the out cry from Congress in the Jefferson case, not that he was worth crying over but that a long establish practice had been over turned. That is usually how it works; the least defensible person is used as an exemption to break the rule the first time… after that it gets easier. I may be a little too conservative but I don’t like the rules to be trampled in the name of expediency.)

In the 1990s there was a move to make more laws applicable to Congress but there are still some that do not apply.

But since Congress makes the laws it is free to word them any way it wants or make any exemptions it wants. (Providing that it passes any judicial challenge) The last clause of Article 1 section 8 pretty much allows Congress to do anything it can provided the political will exists for it.

Are there hooples who abuse the system? Sure.
Doesn’t make the whole system bad.
It just means that we have to keep an eye on them.

 

[manualman]

You forgot to mention 'get drunk, drive out to the boonies with ‘another woman,’ drive off a bridge (drowning her), fail to call police, and be re-elected for decades to come…

 

[andzy]

Well, you don’t necessary need to get elected to do pretty much anything you want: just become a celebrity! There have been “good” examples of that to our young people lately.