The Daily Muck

Capitol Salute Host: “I Made a Mistake” Including Duke
Two days before his U.S. Capitol Historical Society was slated to recognize 37 departed members of Congress, the group’s president bowed to criticism and agreed to remove imprisoned former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s (R-CA) name from the program.

“I agree with the critics. The critics are right,” Ron Sarasin told Copley News Service’s Joe Cantlupe. “. . . I made a mistake.”

“I shouldn’t have included Cunningham’s name, so his name will be stricken from the list,” Sarasin said, giving a full-throated apology. “It should have been clear to me. I caused the problem and I will apologize for it.”

Despite controversy over the inclusion of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has been indicted and faces federal investigations and legal battles, Sarasin says he plans to keep his name in the program. (SDUT)

DeLay Pays Almost Half Million in Legal Fees over Three Months
“Former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) paid a combined $485,275 in legal fees to six separate firms during the last filing period, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.” He’s left with a little over $600,000 in the bank — which, at his rate of spending, could leave him broke if he doesn’t raise significant new money.

Of course, as Roll Call notes, now that he’s no longer in the House, where he served as the powerful majority leader for several years, he can accept unlimited gifts from donors. The downside: who’s going to shower him with money if he’s not a powerful majority leader? (The Hill, Roll Call)

Ohio’s Ney Falls Behind on Mounting Legal Bills
Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), whose indictment on federal corruption charges is widely considered imminent, hasn’t paid a legal bill in over six months. Based on prior bills paid, he appears to have been running up bills to the tune of about $40,000 a month. That’s how much his new legal fund — which started in January — raised through the end of March. Despite the gloomy calculus, Ney’s lawyer insists his client is good for the money. “Payment will be taken care of in due course,” said Mark Tuohey of Vinson and Elkins. (AP)

Fletcher Cries Foul
“Attorneys for Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher say he shouldn’t face trial for allegedly basing personnel decisions on political considerations because Democrats did similar things for decades without punishment. Fletcher’s attorneys claim the case against him is the first of its kind to be prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office.” (AP)

Misinformation Abounds at Abstinence Programs
“Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person’s genitals “can result in pregnancy,” a congressional staff analysis has found. Those and other assertions are examples of the “false, misleading, or distorted information” in the programs’ teaching materials, said the analysis, released yesterday, which reviewed the curricula of more than a dozen projects aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.” (WaPo)

Reed, Friend of Abramoff, Accuses Opponent of Being an Insider
“Reed, the former Christian Coalition leader, questioned Cagle’s voting record, including pro-business votes he cast while building a banking and real estate fortune, and cast him as an insider in a state Senate badly in need of “new blood.” Cagle, a state senator from Gainesville, reminded voters of Reed’s ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and badgered him over his latest campaign headache: A lawsuit from a Texas Indian tribe that claims Reed engaged in fraud and racketeering to shut down the tribe’s casino.” (AP)

Lobbying Connections Under the Radar
“The sportsmen’s caucus is one of hundreds of informal lawmaker clubs that have sprung up in the Capitol to advocate special causes with little public accountability. Congress has allowed the caucuses to be affiliated with foundations that can raise unlimited amounts of money from special interests to finance social events and activities without having to disclose expenses or donations — as lawmakers must for campaigns, political action committee and other groups. That means no scrutiny by ethics enforcers, campaign finance regulators or the public. The Associated Press surveyed Congress, identifying more than 500 such clubs and their members. Caucus events financed by special interests ranged from golf tournaments to Caribbean trips, AP found.” (AP)

Dean Sees Potential for Voter Fraud in California
“His remarks were met by applause and cheers from the crowd in San Diego State University’s open air theater. “I am tired of electronic voting machines we can’t trust,” added Dean, who also called for equal distribution of voting equipment in African-American districts and other improvements to protect citizens’ voting rights. “All I’m asking the Republicans to do is count every vote!” San Diego has become a national focal point for election reform following controversy over Registrar Mikel Haas’ decision to allow pollworkers to take home electronic voting machines with programmable memory cards inside for up to two weeks before the election. Hack tests on identical optical scan systems have demonstrated that cards can be rigged in less than a minute; when a hacked card is later placed in a central tabulator, it can change votes for a large geographic area and actually flip the outcome of an entire Congressional district.” (Raw Story)

Doolittle Leads Rivals in Latest Campaign Finance Reports
“Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, a member of the House Republican leadership whose name has surfaced in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, raised $216,000 during the period for a total of $1.2 million for the campaign. He’s spent just over $1 million and had $261,000 cash on-hand at the end of the period. Doolittle’s opponent, retired Air Force helicopter pilot Charles Brown, raised $109,000 during the period, for a total of $254,000 during the campaign. He has spent $179,000,” and has $74,000 cash on-hand. (AP)

Feds Oppose Public Query in Tobacco Case
“The Justice Department is opposing public questioning of a former department official in a lawsuit stemming from the government’s landmark case against the tobacco industry. The court battle involves former associate attorney general Robert McCallum and a private group alleging that McCallum and others at the Justice Department failed to surrender records related to the lawsuit against the cigarette companies. A year ago, McCallum became the central figure in the government’s decision to lower by more than 90 percent the amount of money it was seeking from cigarette companies.” (AP)

State Assembly Questions Funding of Sweeney’s Trips to Lake Placid
“Tales of bobsleds, steak dinners and taxpayer-funded lobbying are roiling New York politics, as a state Assembly probe of Rep. John Sweeney’s (R-NY) annual winter sports trip threatens to do in an already tough reelection bid.” (The Hill)

At CIA, Kostiw Latest Victim of Post-Goss Purge
Since taking the reins at the agency, Michael Hayden has forced out nearly all staff brought on by former director Porter Goss. Departed “Gosslings” include flack Jennifer Millerwise, and chief of staff Patrick Murray. Most recently, however, Hayden overruled objections and booted Michael Kostiw, “the only Gossling that was thought to have performed well.” Why?

Kostiw ran afoul of Hayden’s boss, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte. It appears that Kostiw’s grim assessment of the situation in Iraq, where he traveled regularly over the past several years, displeased Negroponte, who “wasn’t happy with his criticism,” said the source. “He said [Kostiw] wasn’t being supportive enough of the policy.”

(Harper’s)

Whistle-Blower Sues SEC in Attempt to Attain Records
“Gary Aguirre, the whistle-blower whose charges of lax and politicized enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have sparked the interest of three Senate committees, sued the regulator Friday to secure the public release of records he says will prove his case.” (The Hill)

Vehicle for Donations Questioned
“The Federal Election Commission is challenging the use of a candidate’s or an incumbent’s name in the title of a number of Republican joint fundraising committees, all of which are linked to one particular GOP political operative.” (Roll Call, sub. req.)

New Suit Filed in Janklow Case
“The family of a motorcyclist killed when former Rep. Bill Janklow (R-SD) ran a stop sign has filed a new $25 million wrongful death suit against the U.S. government.” (AP)