The Daily Muck

Two former officials at the Department of Justice appear to be tied up in the indictment of Jack Abramoff connected lobbyist Kevin Ring. Former Solicitor General Paul Clement and chief of staff to former Attorney General John Ashcroft both have had correspondence with Ring that prosecutors Wednesday said they intend to turn over to the court. Ring was indicted on conspiracy, obstruction of justice, bribery, and fraud charges earlier this month. (AP)

Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) said during FBI Director Robert Mueller’s testimony Wednesday that he does not believe that suspect Bruce Ivins acted alone in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Leahy, who was one of the targets in the attacks, added that he was not convinced that Ivins was involved at all. Mueller noted that the National Academy of Sciences will conduct an independent review of the scientific evidence in the case. (AP)

A law enforcement investigation into Alaska State Sen. Lesil McGuire (R) over a disturbance on a recent Alaska Airlines flight has ended without charges. According to witnesses, State Sen. McGuire refused to turn off her BlackBerry during the flight and acted out when she was denied alcohol. The incident was revealed in an official report released Tuesday. (Anchorage Daily News)

Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a bill Wednesday in response to the scandal at the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service. The bill would suspend a federal program run by the agency that collects and sells oil and natural gas drilled by energy companies on federal lands. The Interior Department scandal was revealed recently by an inspector general report that described officials engaging in illicit activities and accepting bribes. (Reuters)

Three U.S. soldiers were charged by the U.S. Army Wednesday with murdering Iraqis last year. The murders were in apparent retaliation to casualties suffered in Baghdad in April of 2007. The three men are charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, and obstruction of justice. (AP)

In a surprising turn-around after years of denials, the sons of the famous Rosenbergs acknowledged Wednesday that their father Julius Rosenberg had been a spy for the Soviet Union. This comes a week after a co-defendant of Rosenberg confessed that he and Julius gave U.S. secrets to the U.S.S.R. Julius Rosenberg and his wife Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953 for giving the Soviet Union atomic secrets. (New York Times)