GOP Corruption Beyond Astonishment

Senate hearings are detailing the unbelievable corruption of DeLay backers Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, who bilked Indian tribes and others out of tens of millions of dollars for kickbacks and personal use, set up a phony corporation headed by a yoga instructor and a lifeguard, and more in a mindblowing string of venality.

Talking Points Memo is covering the unfolding scandal of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-San Diego) and his kickback deals with defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who just resigned as CEO and president of the shady company MZM, who gave large sums to Cunningham, Virgil Goode of Virginia and Katherine Harris of Florida.

Meanwhile, practically every GOP official in Ohio is being exposed as foolishly, selfishly corrupt, tied to a crooked rare-coin dealer named Tom Noe who funneled millions of dollars around playing with an Ohio pension fund: Gov. Bob Taft, Auditor Betty Montgomery and Attorney General Jim Petro, Bureau of Workers Compensation head James Conrad, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, five Ohio Supreme Court justices... (not to mention others who have received Noe contributions from Schwarzenegger to Bush). The Toledo Blade has been leading on this story--read their Coingate series.