The Daily Muck

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DeLay Denied His Concealed Handgun

Well, I for one feel safer. It’s against Texas law for an indictee to carry a concealed handgun – so they’re taking Tom DeLay’s away. (Raw Story)

More Muck in Ohio

Pay-to-play in Ohio. Lawyers who gave money to a GOP campaign fund, got work as special counsel in return. (Toledo Blade)

The Texas K Street Project

Last week, Comptroller Carole Strayhorn stopped Texas’ payments to one of the Washington lobby firms working for the state. Late Friday, she stopped payments to the other. (Austin-American Statesman)

The Boulis Murder Trial

Cell phone records seem to place two of the defendants near the scene of the crime, but it looks like a key witness may have a key piece of testimony contradicted by another witness. (Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel)

Rohrabacher, Abramoff, and Eritrea

Abramoff represented the country back in 2002, and Alexander Strategy took it on afterwards. And it turns out that Abramoff friend Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) has a penchant for Ethiopia bashing. (EritreaDaily.net)

Burns Says He Won’t Back Down

Now in a tough primary race, Abramoff scandal-ridden Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) gave a podium-thumping speech to a Republican audience in Montana this weekend and once again denied he’d done anything wrong. (Billings Gazette)

Problems Continue for Rhode Island Dem Senate Candidate

Matt Brown has been fighting charges of “donation swapping” with other state committees for awhile. They don’t seem to be going away. (AP)

Abramoff’s Movie Days

Three years ago, Abramoff approached writer Mark Hemingway to ghost write a book baksed on his experiences shooting the film Red Scorpion. The book never happened, but Hemingway tells the story anyway in this issue of the Weekly Standard. (TWS)

The Little Committee that Couldn’t

Amidst the greatest Congressional scandals in recent memory, the leaders of the House Ethics Committee are trying mightily to get their panel to function. (Roll Call)

The Dog Ate My Lobby Reform Bill

Some good ideas are on the table to curb ethically questionable lobbying practices. But both sides of Congress are lacking any sense of urgency to pass lobby reform legislation. (WashPost, Roll Call)

With Great Power Comes Great Tax Breaks

The New York Times this morning tells the story of how Big Oil got a multi-billion-dollar tax break, thanks largely to the effort of its lobbyists, and a few key oversights by Clinton administration personnel. (NYTimes)

In Other Muck

Laura Rozen asks who directed Duke Cunningham co-conspirator Thomas Kontogiannis’ wife to give $1,000 to 18 different GOP candidates in 2004. (W&P)

Robert Novak reports that Pres. Bush has turned to Grover Norquist for help and Thinkprogress asks whether Norquist, who’s increasingly being drawn into the Abramoff scandal, is really the best man for the job. (CST, Thinkprogress)

Kevin Drum gives us a rundown on the Russians’ management of DeLay’s trip to Moscow in 1997…(link)

Covered This Weekend

Novak Clears DeLay…(link)

DeLay aide Ed Buckham started up his lobbying firm funded by Abramoff’s clients…(link)

Texas Trailblazes on Ethics…(link)

Abramoff to Testify in Boulis murder case…(link)

Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) won’t spend inheritance on her Senate run after all…(link)

Crooked Contractor Tried to Bring Democracy to Iran….(link)

Neil Bush’s Investors in Ignite Learning…(link)

New Details of How Abramoff’s Russians Bribed DeLay…(link)

Dem Political Aide to Plead Guilty…(link)

Gov. Perry’s Secret Lobbying Deal?…(link)

MZM’s Pentagon Work Broader Than Reported…(link)

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