I read a newspaper article yesterday that said that 13 members of Congress had been subpoenaed to appear and testify at a criminal trial. The Trial was a criminal case involving a defense contractor who allegedly bribed "Duke" Cunningham (then a serving representative). The Congresspersons were asked to testify for the defense.
The general counsel to the House of Representatives apparently planned to seek to quash the subpoenas on the grounds that the members had nothing to say about the case. The subpoenas apparently can be quashed because the members did not receive a clear explanation of why the the testimony is needed. Congress has made its own rule that says that members need not comply with subpoenas unless someone can prove that the testimony is needed. The newspaper reported that each of the subpoenas were directed to persons who had received campaign contributions from the guy on trial.
It is a bit of a problem when Congress gets to make rules that benefit members, but no one else gets that benefit. It is not surprising, though, as there are a host of laws that citizens must comply with, but from which Congress is exempt. What moral justification could there be for lawmakers to make rules and laws that they themselves need not obey?
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