Legislators declare Justice corrupt.

The back story, briefly.

1. There's a rule that says indicted House leaders must leave.
2. A Republican is about to be indicted.
3. Republicans voted to get rid of the rule.

I've been reading about this sporadically over at TPM, and I've gotten a little bored of the scandal of it. Scoundrels in power try to keep their power. Yawn. I now think there's a more fundamental problem here.

"It's a recognition that the rules of politics have changed," said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands. "The courts and judges and prosecutors are all now part of what used to be the voters' decision. We're in an ugly world."

Indeed, it's an ugly world. Justice is supposed to be blind, but Congress now says it's political.

In Austin, Mr. Earle said the rule change would not affect his investigation. "But," he said, "it should be alarming to the public to see their leaders substitute their judgment for that of the law enforcement process."

This is the disconnect: I see the justice system as blind, fair. The GOP lawmakers see it as biased, partisan. In other words, the people who are part of the government don't believe in it.

If they honestly don't think that indicted members of Congress should face any penalty for that, fine, change the rule. What I hear from our lawmakers, however, is that they believe it puts power in a place they don't consider worthy of it, and that place is our justice system.