By Billy House | National Journal
With the long-awaited corruption trial in Arizona of former three-term Rep. Rick Renzi as the legal battleground, House Republican and Democratic leaders are accusing the Justice Department of seeking to undercut special constitutional protections afforded to federal lawmakers and their legislative acts.
With national attention focused on several scandals that question whether government agencies exceeded or abused their authority, the House Office of General Counsel submitted a brief in Renzi’s trial in Tucson, assailing what it calls a “patently incorrect” argument there by federal prosecutors involving when the speech- or debate-clause protections are surrendered.
Renzi, 54, who served in Congress from 2003 to 2009, was indicted five years ago and now faces 32 counts of extortion, conspiracy, and fraud. Some of the charges involve his dealings with legislation tied to a complex land exchange between the federal government and Resolution Copper Mining, and whether he enriched himself by threatening to kill the deal unless the mining company bought land from a former business partner. His trial began May 7, and it is expected to take as long as two months.
Continued: http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/the-curious-case-of-rick-renzi-20130528
