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Grand Ole Partier?

Those kids who told the Union College reporter that Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) was drunk are mistaken, according to Sweeney’s spokeswoman:

Sweeney, though, says he wasn’t drunk and wasn’t even drinking at the frat party. He gives a very different account than the ones written about in the Albany Times Union’s blog and the Union College school newspapers, which suggested Sweeney was hammered when he crashed the Delta Phi party. The newspapers’ Web sites also included photos of Sweeney with students at the bash looking, well, half in the bag.

“You weren’t there, that’s speculation,” Sweeney’s spokeswoman, Melissa Carlson, told HOH. True. And she pointed out that Sweeney “isn’t supposed to be drinking” because he’s on medication trying to recover from a recent three-week-long hospitalization for a condition doctors believe to be vasculitis, an inflammation of blood vessels in the brain.

“He wasn’t drinking,” she said, adding, “What’s wrong with him stopping by and talking to college kids?”

Sweeney’s friend (seen in a couple of the pictures) who accompanied him to the party says that Sweeney had only had “a half a glass of wine” before he went over. He added that Sweeney was “absolutely not” inebriated and he “wasn’t slurring his words,” as the Union College paper had reported.

Reformers Cavort with Lobbyists

You will be shocked to learn that moderate Republicans, even those very same ones who’ve loudly advocated for lobbying reform, are members of an exclusive advocacy group that charges lobbyists up to $25,000 for the privilege of rubbing shoulders with them. Among the members of the Republican Main Street Partnership are Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the posterboys for lobbying reform. (NYT)

Karl Rove on the Hook for Cooper Testimony

That’s according to Murray Waas’ and Newsweek’s latest on the Valeria Plame investigation. Rove says he had a memory failure – Patrick Fitzgerald doesn’t seem so sure. (Newsweek, National Journal)

Reform – House Republicans Flew Blind

House Republicans are trying to spirit up some confidence that their reform bill will pass this week after last week’s near disastrous vote on the reform measure. According to Roll Call, the vote on the rule last week, preliminary to the final vote, was extremely close to failing, as Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) forced into to a vote not knowing whether it would pass. (Roll Call, USA Today)

House Ethics Committee Stirs

The chairman and new ranking member of the House ethics committee are making the appropriate noises about how they really should get down to business soon, any day now. Yup. Mm-hmm. (Roll Call)

Pombo – Abramoff Bellwether

The NY Times takes a peek at the race against Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) and finds that that he’s in trouble for his close ties to Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff. (NYT)

Feds Get down to Business in MO Corruption Probe

Federal investigators are questioning state contractors about possible misdeeds in state government under Gov. Matt Blunt (R), son of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO). They’re curious about how Blunt supporters may have unduly profited from state licensing fees.

Justice Dept. Asked to Probe Harris

D.C. watchdog group Common Cause has asked the Justice Department to investigate Rep. Katherine Harris’ (R-FL) dealings with admitted briber Mitchell Wade, including their infamous $2,800 dinner. (Orlando Sentinel)

In Other Muck

Rush Limbaugh Strikes Deal with Prosecutors…(link)

John Doolittle (R-CA) Denies Anything Wrong with Wife’s Fundraising Arrangement (Again)…(link)

The FBI Is Still Spying On You. . . (AP)

Stabenow Takes Heat For Funny Reporting of Tribal Money. . . (Detroit Free Press)

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