Rep. Young (R-AK) Loses Shorts Over Abramoff Ties!

On February 10th, TPMmuckraker.com's Paul Kiel reported on the Abramoff-organized congressional delegation that Rep. Don Young (R-AK) led to the Marshall Islands in February 1999.

One of the more colorful details of Paul's report was the fact that Rep. Young actually addressed the Marshallese legislature wearing Bermuda shorts. Apparently, for someone so used to the frosty climes of Alaska, the South Pacific warmth just got the best of him.

We based our report on the eyewitness account of Tony de Brum, then-Finance Minister of the Marshalls, who witnessed Young's speech and his attire.

Late this afternoon, however, we receieved the news that at a press conference this morning back in Alaska, Rep. Young was asked about the Bermuda shorts incident and he denied wearing Bermuda shorts at any time during his brief sojourn in the Marshalls.

We thought Abramoff's clients were the only ones who lost their shorts because of their association with the disgraced lobbyist. But it seems they're not alone.

We'll keep an eye on the local press and keep you posted on how this late-breaking shorts controversy develops.