Cunningham gets eight years.
I’ve been following the story of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham since last June. In just nine months, Cunningham has gone from outrage and bluster to resignation to utter defeat. As of this afternoon, he’s going to federal “pound me in the ass” prison. Cunningham has been sentenced to eight years and four months for accepting bribes from MZM, Inc., as well as two other defense contractors. He’s been told that his sentence will be reduced further if he continues to cooperate with investigators. If he’s not cooperating fully, he will be after he meets Tiny, his new cellmate.
There are two other congressmen caught up in this scandal. One of them is Rep. Katherine Harris. She is the one who appears to be involved the least. But as Cunningham was sentenced, Harris was getting lawyered up — she’s hired hotshot campaign finance attorney Ben Ginsberg, the same Bush/Cheney attorney who advised the Swift Boat Vets. The Tampa Tribune writes:
On the sixth day after she was identified as a recipient of illegal campaign contributions, the Republican congresswoman from Longboat Key stayed behind closed doors. She issued a statement in which she denied knowing that contributions made to her by defense contractor Mitchell Wade had been illegal.
She also had her employees release a partial series of documents, requested by the Tribune, that relate to her attempts at obtaining federal tax dollars for dozens of special interests since 2004.
Six days behind closed doors, issuing defensive statements, releasing documents about spending — she’s clearly handling this matter deftly.
So if the most-involved congressman is headed off to prison and the least-involved congressman is barricading herself, I have to wonder — what’s the congressman in the middle, my own Rep. Virgil Goode, doing these days? Has he lawyered up? Are any media outlets asking that he release his records of his communications with MZM and NGIC, or a record of his earmarks?
Cunningham and Harris are unlucky — both of their districts contain major print media outlets. Goode has only small dailies — the Daily Progress, the Register-Bee, the Times, and the News and Advance. And three of those are owned by Media General, which has a months-old hiring freeze that has their overworked and underpaid employees more overworked and underpaid than ever.
The ball’s in your court, guys. Ask the tough questions. Demand answers. Print the responses, no matter how flaccid and anemic. You can do it.
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