The Daily MuckSen. John McCain (R-AZ) has seen a recent rash of resignations amongst his lobbyist-riddled campaign staff as he tries to live up to his image as an untethered candidate. The latest to leave the camp is McCain’s national finance co-chair Thomas Loeffler, who runs The Loeffler Group. (Politico and Associated Press)
The long saga of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham continues to play out. Thomas Kontogiannis was sentenced to eight years and one month in the joint for money laundering through fraudulent mortgages in an effort to influence Cunningham. Duke himself received an eight-plus year sentence for accepting the bribes. Defense contractor and briber Brent Wilkes was given 12 years for his dealings with Cunningham. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
The fallout continues from the revelations that Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann used his position to unlawfully attempt to prosecute Gitmo detainees during tribunals. Now lawyers of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and four other prisoners, are calling for the abandonment of all charges levied against them due to Hartmann’s failure to objectively handle such cases. (LA Times)
The legacy of former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson may be HUD’s willingness to hand out cherry government contracts to close allies during his term at the agency. The latest allegation of cronyism involves a small Texas company that received $71 million in contracts from HUD in a few weeks in 2004. When one agency worker flagged the activity as suspicious, she was brushed aside and asked to take her old lower-level job. (Washington Post)
Former Kansas Attorney General and current Johnson County (Kan.) District Attorney Phill Kline has been on a one-man crusade against anybody suspected of providing abortions in the Kansas City-area. Kline is now reportedly soliciting donations and speaking engagements through an anti-abortion Web site, standwithtruth.com, a clear conflict of interest some legal experts are claiming. (Kansas City Star)