More Corruption by Ex-DeLay Aide Uncovered

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Here’s more grist for the prosecutors’ mill, courtesy of the LA Times.

From his private lobby shop, Ed Buckham — longtime confidante and aide to former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) — used his Hill connections to win an earmark that benefited a company he partially owned.

DeLay isn’t implicated in this scam, but his pal Dave Weldon (R-FL) is — he’s said to have inserted the earmark into a funding bill. A press release from his office cited by the Times appears to confirm that.

Another name crops up: Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT). He’s said to have pushed for a separate, $20-million deal that would have benefited Buckham’s company. As Burns tries to disentangle himself from the Abramoff scandal, this is one more knot he doesn’t need.

Buckham was tight with Abramoff — he ran his sham charity, U.S. Family Network, which laundered money from Abramoff clients. Ed’s expected to follow the lead of his chums Tony Rudy and Mike Scanlon and plea out at some point, although the lines are quiet about when that might happen.

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