President George W. Bush stepped into an unusual constitutional battle between Congress and the executive branch on Thursday, ordering that records seized from a congressman’s office during a controversial FBI raid be sealed so the feud can be resolved.

The records were taken from the office of William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, during an FBI raid of his office on Saturday. More than a dozen agents were seen entering the Capitol Hill building – the first time the FBI has ever raided the office of a sitting member of Congress – and carrying out several large boxes of evidence.