House Leaders Question FBI Search

Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., makes a statement upon his arrival at Washington's National Airport, Monday, May 22, 2006. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) (Lauren Victoria Burke - AP)

Agents later found all but $10,000 of the cash _ in marked bills _ hidden in a freezer in one of the congressman's homes, according to the affidavit.

His homes in New Orleans and the Washington area were searched by FBI agents last August.

"Nothing I have learned in the last 48 hours leads me to believe that there was any necessity to change the precedent established over those 219 years," Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said in a statement Monday.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said congressional independence from the executive branch protects Americans from abuses of power.

"Justice Department investigations must be conducted in accordance with constitutional protections and historical precedent," she said.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the raid raises questions about why the Justice Department raided the offices of a Democrat but not Republican lawmakers under investigation. "It certainly has been disparate treatment," he said.

Jefferson, whose office was searched over the weekend in connection with allegations of bribery, told reporters that he would not resign.

He declined to talk about allegations that he was videotaped accepting money from a Virginia businesswoman who is cooperating with investigators. She was identified as Lori Mody by a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the woman's name was kept secret in court documents.

Jefferson called the weekend search of his office an "outrageous intrusion."

The search warrant affidavit spells out special procedures put in place to ensure the search did not infringe on privileged material. The procedures include use of a "filter team" of prosecutors and FBI agents unconnected to the investigation. They would review any seized items or documents and determine whether the documents are privileged and therefore immune from the search warrant.