Lawmaker to Constituent: “I Think You’re An. . . “
The truth hurts. Missourian Bill Jones opened a letter from his congresswoman, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), in which the lawmaker wrote, “I think you’re an” followed by “a profane, seven-letter insult,” the AP reports, which our New York Times crossword dictionary tells us is “asshole.”
Emerson says she can’t figure out how it got in there or how it got mailed, although she did sign the letter personally and hand-write at the bottom, “P.S. – please forgive the delay in responding.” Something tells me there’s a 22-year-old constituent services assistant who will never work in Washington again. (AP)
Doolittle’s Cut
I tell ya, the Association of Fundraising Professionals are hopping mad about Rep. John Doolittle’s (R-CA) little arrangement, whereby his wife gets a 15% cut of contributions to his politcal committees. A member wrote a letter to the Washington Post after their story, and now they’re in the pages of the Sacramento Bee, saying that fundraisers shouldn’t be paid off of a commission at all – it’s against the AFP’s fundraising code. (Sac Bee)
Ralph Reed – Going Down?
In a reprise of an article that seems to appear every two weeks or so in different outlets, the Wall Street Journal wonders whether the Abramoff scandal will finally sink Ralph Reed. This is one’s pretty good as far as they come, though, with some good details about how those darn emails have come back to bite him on occasion. But unfortunately it’s still impossible to tell if Reed will slither through – he’s held on to a narrow lead over his opponent in the primary. The primary’s coming up on July 18th. (WSJ)
Brian Bilbray – Meet the New Boss…
Maybe it’s natural to be suspicious of the guy running to replace Duke Cunningham, but you got to admit, Brian Bilbray rewards the urge. The San Diego Reader peruses the list of those who dumped money into his campaign in the eleventh hour and finds a tangle of interests who all, crazily enough, have some connection to a man named Jack. (SDR)
And what’s more, Bilbray is holding on to $13,000 in otherwise tainted cash – $7,000 from his doomed forbear, Duke Cunningham, and $6,000 from Brent Wilkes, who spent a good while bribing Duke. The money came in before Duke pled guilty, when both still thought they might find Bilbray useful in the future. (Stakeholder)
Mollohan: Oh, Those Real Estate Investments
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV), ranking member of the House ethics committee, has been under fire for numerous financial misreportings. Now, we learn of several properties he owns that he has failed to mention previously. “I certainly wasn’t trying to hide any lots in Canaan Valley or Tucker County. It’s all been disclosed,” he told a reporter. “Believe me, I wasn’t trying to hide any investments.” (WRTF-TV)
Covered Yesterday
New White House Policy Chief was ‘Brooks Brothers’ Rioter…(link)
Can Rove Still See Classified Info?…(link)
To Get Muckraker Jack Anderson’s Papers, Did FBI Trick Widow?…(link)
CREW Files Criminal Complaint against Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)…(link)
DeLay: TX Court Tosses Conspiracy Charge…(link)
White House Flack Steps Down…(link)
CIA Taps the Blogosphere…(link)
