Jurisdiction is the problem here, not the innocence or guilt of Jefferson, who seems as dirty as they come. The Capitol Police was created in the early 1800's for this very purpose, to keep the executive and legislative branches separate. The California Highway Patrol cannot write you a ticket in Nevada, even if you are guilty as sin.

Are you saying that the Capitol Police should have been the agency doing the searching?

I have been wondering about the claims of jurisdiction.

Did the establishment of the Capitol Police specifically serve to exclude any other law enforcement agency from acting in federal offices? Was this legislation, custom, or just assumed?

I really would like to know, as this is new territory for me.

On the surface, it seems unlikely that a congressman could be so protected by his position that he could hide evidence of his crimes in office, in his physical office, with complete assurance that by doing so he could not be subject to a search warrant. But I have not heard any details about why the FBI should not be allowed to do such a search.

You can read more about the Capitol Police HERE. Their jusridiction is throughout the US, territories and D.C. They serve the same purpose as the NYPD serves New York, as per their website: "Our main focus still lies in protecting life and property; preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal acts; and enforcing traffic regulations..."

The FBI is a branch of the executive. The reason for the separation is obvious - if a Democratic President raids a Republican office for any reason, they can "stumble" upon Republican party strategy documents that could be REALLY helpful to undermine future campaigns. This kind of investigation must be conducted by someone who has nothing political to gain from access to such documents, hence the Capitol Police.

The Capitol Police arrested Cindy Sheehan for wearing that t-shirt mentioned HERE.