Cunningham lawyers up. And

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Cunningham lawyers up. And his lawyer knows what kind of case he’s dealing with. Cunningham lawyer K. Lee Blalack told the hometown North County Times he couldn’t talk details about the case because he “hadn’t gotten his hands dirty on this thing yet.”

Also of interest, it turns out that Blalack was Duke’s attorney during the last major congressional bribery dust-up.

Says the article: “[Blalack] also represented the 63-year-old congressman and former Navy fighter pilot in a 2003 ethics case that alleged Cunningham and other lawmakers pressured Rep. Nick Smith to vote in favor of a Medicare reform bill.”

Blalack also repeats Duke’s claim that he paid $13,000 in dock and maintenance fees “in lieu of traditional rent.” But here’s what we’re not clear on.

$8,000 of that is for slip fees.

But according to the earlier account, before Duke started living on the Duke Stir, he’d been living there on his own yacht, the Kelly C. The latter boat got sent off to get refurbished and is apparently down in Mobile, Alabama. And the Duke Stir took its place. So wasn’t Duke paying the eight grand in slip fees all along? How does he get to count that as payment in kind to Mitchell Wade? And if someone loans you their house for a year, is it kosher by congressional rules if you pay utilities and upkeep in lieu of traditional rent?

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