In reading this account of the congressional investigation of illegal phone jamming in 2002 by Republican operatives, there is a very interesting quote:

The case moved slowly — the pleas not occurring until June of 2004. And it wasn’t until after the 2004 election that James Tobin, who’d been the Republian National Committee’s New England Regional Political Director, was indicted for his role in the conspiracy. He was ultimately convicted, but then the verdict was reversed on appeal. Tobin will go to trial again this December.

Democrats say it’s no accident that the case took so long.

As part of a civil suit over the jamming, the FBI turned over more than 5000 pages of investigative materials to Democratic lawyers. The documents revealed, they say, that only one FBI agent was assigned to the case on a part-time basis, and that “the agent was continually given other assignments which interfered with her ability to conduct a coherent intensive investigation.” The lawyers will be transferring those documents to the Conyers’ committee sometime next week.