Washington ? President Bush stepped into a confrontation between the Justice Department and Congress on Thursday, ordering that documents seized in an FBI raid on a lawmaker’s office be sealed for 45 days.

His spokesman also labeled as “false, false, false” charges that Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales’ department had tried to intimidate Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

In an effort to defuse an intensifying, election-year dispute between the Republican-led Congress and his administration, Bush, facing growing complaints from lawmakers in both parties that he has abused presidential powers, called for a cooling-off period.

“Our government has not faced such a dilemma in more than two centuries,” he said in a statement. “Yet after days of discussions, it is clear these differences will require more time to be worked out.”

Bush granted one of Hastert’s demands, directing the FBI to surrender documents and computerized records taken last weekend from the office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. He ordered Solicitor General Paul Clement, who has a separate office in the Justice Department, to take custody of them.

The president said no one is above the law and that he continued to support the investigation of Jefferson. The eight-term congressman is accused of accepting thousands of dollars to facilitate a telephone investment deal in Africa.

The FBI said it would comply with Bush’s order.

The time-out came five days after the FBI, acting on a search warrant signed a week ago by a federal judge, raided Jefferson’s office as part of the bribery investigation.