The Washington Post has a front page article today, above the fold, today on the Speech or Debate clause, which the reporter explains, “is increasingly being used by lawmakers as a shield in public corruption investigations, frustrating investigators even as the FBI attempts to police wrongdoing at a pace not seen since the Watergate scandal.”
One interesting revelation of the article is that the House Counsel’s office is seeking to file an amicus brief on behalf of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group in the Renzi case. As I have noted, the government’s position in the Renzi case would inappropriately limit the scope of the Speech or Debate Clause. Thus, it is not surprising that the House Counsel’s office would want to make its views known (though it is somewhat surprising that the BLAG was willing to intervene in such a politically controversial matter).