ABC News is now reporting that Speaker of the House, and DeLay pool boy, Dennis Hastert (R-IL) is now “in the mix” in the ever widening Jack Abramoff scandal. Hastert is of course denying the claims, and even the Justice Department has denied the story, but Brian Ross and ABC continue to insist that multiple sources have told them that Hastert is under the microscope too. ThinkProgress has the transcript.

ROSS: Good morning Robin. Despite flat and repeated denies from the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement officials insist to ABC news the FBI investigation of capitol hill corruption has widened to include potentially Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. Officials describe the 64-year-old Illinois republican as “very much in the mix” of the corruption investigation. Something the speaker told ABC News he was unaware of.

HASTERT: I know nothing about it.

ROSS: Part of the investigation is said to involve a letter Hastert wrote three years ago urging the Secretary of Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes. The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time.

Knowing this now it seems particularly suspicious that Hastert was so quick to denounce the raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s office earlier in the week.

All of a sudden George Bush cares about the Constitution and the rule of law. Weird.

Says WashPo, Bush Orders Jefferson Records Sealed for 45 Days:

President Bush personally ordered the Justice Department today to seal records seized from the Capitol Hill office of a Democratic congressman, marking a remarkable intervention by the nation’s chief executive into an ongoing criminal probe of alleged corruption.

The order culminates an escalating constitutional confrontation between the Justice Department and the House of Representatives, where lawmakers have demanded that the FBI return items seized during a Saturday night raid of the office of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.).

In a six-paragraph statement, Bush said he issued the order to give the Justice Department and angry lawmakers more time to work out an agreement about how to resolve the conflict.

Here’s my favorite part:

“Those who violate the law–including a member of Congress–should and will be held to account,” Bush said.

Something very strange is going on on Capitol Hill.

RJ Matson Cartoon

William Jefferson Wrap-Up:

Think Progress: Pelosi Calls on Jefferson to Resign From Ways & Means Committee

Raw Story: Pelosi asks congressman snared in bribery probe to resign post

CNN: Angry lawmakers demand FBI return seized documents