Rotten Apples

You know, once an apple rots you can't go back. Eventually, it rots the core:

Lobbyist Sought $9 Million to Set Bush Meeting

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 - The lobbyist Jack Abramoff asked for $9 million in 2003 from the president of a West African nation to arrange a meeting with President Bush and directed his fees to a Maryland company now under federal scrutiny, according to newly disclosed documents.

....snip....

The documents also show that Mr. Abramoff and his colleagues drew up a draft contract that called for $9 million in fees to be paid to GrassRoots Interactive, the small Maryland lobbying company that his former colleagues say he controlled.

Documents, including copies of canceled checks, show that millions of dollars flowed through the company's accounts in 2003, the year it was created, including at least $2.3 million to a California consulting firm that used the same address as the law office of Mr. Abramoff's brother, Robert. A separate check for $400,000 was made out to Kay Gold, another Abramoff family company. (emphasis added)

What's this? GrassRoots Interactive???

With the recent withdrawal of Timothy Flanagan's nomination to be deputy attorney general, the ties between Governor Bob Ehrlich, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and Ehrlich's Deputy Chief of Staff, Edward B. Miller, are back in the news.

Miller owned Grassroots Interactive, a company that federal prosecutors believe may have been used to launder money from Abramoff clients like Tyco, for the benefit of other Abramoff controlled entities.

...snip...

In one scenario, Grassroots Interactive performed little or no work and simply served to launder money for Abramoff, which raises a whole host of questions regarding Miller and Ehrlich, their judgement, and character.

...snip....

According to the Maryland Campaign Finance Database, on November 4, 2003, Jack Abramoff and his wife, Pamela, jointly contributed $8,000 to the re-election effort of Governor Bob Ehrlich. Given the fact that it was a full three years before Ehrlich's next election, that's a pretty strong sign of commitment. Abramoff, along with his spouse, had already contributed $8,000 to Ehrlich during his initial campaign for Governor. (emphasis added)

Gosh, the plot thickens. From the NYT's article:

...prosecutors examining other issues, including Mr. Abramoff's relationship with GrassRoots and other small consulting firms and charities he controlled. Congressional investigators have questioned whether he used them to hide income to avoid paying taxes and to evade disclosure rules for lobbyists.

We noted Ehrlich's sliminess in the past when he was involved in firing a nurse for coming clean (Sat, March 26, 2005 - The Nurse, The Clone and the Prince of Darkness). This should contribute to the trend in his poll numbers.

Did I hear a cry out there?
Paging, Elliot Ness!!

Paging, Sam Ervin!!

Paging,

Patrick Fitzgerald!!

Get to work.