A former Kaufman County, Texas justice of the peace told an NBC News affiliate that he was questioned by law enforcement agents on Saturday, just hours after the bodies of the county …

TPM PRIMER: How Not To Buy A New York City Republican Party Mayoral Nomination

Update: April 3, 2013, 3:10 PM

New York’s local political landscape was rocked yesterday morning when bribery, extortion, and fraud charges were unveiled against a group of local politicians and Republican Party officials. According to Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the centerpiece of this “unappetizing smorgasboard of graft and greed” was a “bribery scheme” to secure State Senator Malcolm Smith a spot in the Republican primary in this year’s New York City mayoral election. But the bigger irony, according to Big Apple campaign insiders, is that city’s GOP party line has already been effectively purchased by others — both effectively and legally. And one of those buyers is current Mayor Michael Bloomberg! Smith probably could have accomplished his goals without resorting to such risky measures if he’d just gone by the standard campaign cash playbook.

Menendez Donor Under Scrutiny Breaks Silence

Dr. Salomon Melgen, the Florida ophthalmologist, businessman, and political donor whose ties to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) have been under scrutiny, has granted his first interview since his name hit the headlines earlier this year.

Check Out The Last 16 Covers Of The NRA’s ‘Pure News Magazine’

Right at the moment when they sign up, new members of the National Rifle Association have to make a choice: which NRA monthly magazine would they like a complimentary subscription to?

The options: American Hunter, American Rifleman, and America’s First Freedom. (Junior NRA members can opt for a publication called Insights.) According to the NRA, American Hunter — which, death of print be damned, boasts nearly one million readers — offers expert opinions on “how and where to hunt all types of North American game.” American Rifleman, meanwhile, features “stories of interest to gun enthusiasts of every kind.” And America’s First Freedom, the NRA’s “first pure news magazine,” gives readers “timely, hard-hitting journalism that tells the truth about the threats to our Second Amendment rights.”

Looking For Clues In Killings Of Two Texas Prosecutors

Kaufman County, Texas, just east of Dallas, is named after David Spangler Kaufman, the first Jewish Texan to serve in Congress. It is home to approximately 107,000 residents. And in the past two months, it has had two of its prosecutors shot dead. So far, the culprit or culprits remain at large.

Connecticut Officials Want Information From Sandy Hook Charities

Officials in Connecticut are asking for information from several dozen charities that have raised millions of dollars in response to the December mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

A letter signed by state Attorney General George Jepsen and Consumer Protection Commissioner William Rubenstein went out to 69 charities on Thursday, asking groups to voluntarily disclose how much money has been raised, and where the money is going.

Colbert Fears Tennessee Mop Sink Is For Muslim Mops

As Stephen Colbert noted on his show Wednesday evening, he has “long warned that America is under dire threat from creeping Sharia law.”

So the late-night host was interested in a recent story out of Tennessee, where several state lawmakers questioned whether a new sink installed in the statehouse was for Muslims to wash their feet in before prayer. The lawmakers were reassured that it’s actually just a mop sink. But Colbert’s fears were not allayed.

Who Is The Mysterious ‘Carlos’ Involved In The Menendez Story?

Earlier this month, as media reports and court documents in the Dominican Republic began to debunk the prostitution allegations that had been swirling around him, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) took a moment to remind reporters about the “nameless, faceless, anonymous sources” involved in pushing the story. Well, we now have the face of one of the sources. Or at least three-quarters of his face.

Is Ex-Rep. David Rivera’s ‘Conservative Bad Girl’ Holed Up In Nicaragua?

Ana Alliegro, a Florida political operative and longtime friend of former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL), disappeared on Sept. 6, 2012. And despite her potential role as a key witness in a federal investigation tied to the former Republican lawmaker, her whereabouts have remained a mystery for more than six months. But that may be changing.

Meet The New Faces Of The NRA

NRA News, the National Rifle Association’s online news website and “your first source for Second Amendment news and information,” has recently added three commentators to its lineup, to compliment its daily online video broadcasts. Videos featuring the commentators will apparently include a disclaimer that they do not “necessarily reflect the views of the National Rifle Association.” But from what little has been put out so far about the commentators, that disclaimer might just be for show. For those of you who don’t normally click over to NRA News during your lunch hour, here’s a quick introduction to the new faces: