Defense attorneys for the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff last night filed 95 letters from friends and supporters in an effort to get the former GOP power-broker out of jail early. In the words of the Associated Press, the letters "describe him as a humbled, changed man whose family is suffering and nearly broke after his first 18 months in prison."

Apparently Abramoff has turned himself into something of a professor while in prison. His lawyers say that he has taught classes entitled "Parenting from a Distance," "Modern Marvels," "Cinema Studies," and "The Holocaust in Films," and is currently teaching a film theory class.

As we told you this morning, prosecutors have asked for leniency for Abramoff because he has already spent over 3000 hours helping them with their ongoing federal corruption probe, which implicates a number of other Washington players.

We'll have to wait until next Thursday for a final decision, but in filings made yesterday, it appears that the Justice Department is seeking a pretty light sentence for the infamous former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

From the Washington Post:

Since his conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges, former lobbyist Jack Abramoff has spent more than 3,000 hours helping more than 100 law enforcement agents in an ongoing federal corruption probe that has implicated "scores of other persons not yet charged," attorneys said in court filings today.

. . . If a federal judge in Washington accepts the recommendation from the Justice Department, Abramoff would serve no more than another three years and three months in prison, not accounting for credit for good behavior awarded by the Bureau of Prisons. Abramoff's attorneys are seeking even more leniency that could have him released from prison by 2010.

Maybe there's some truth to the reports that Barack Obama is finally planning to get tough on John McCain. According to the Altanta Journal-Constitution, the Obama campaign will tomorrow release in Atlanta this ad, which links McCain to disgraced former Jack Abramoff crony Ralph Reed:

The hard-hitting ad notes that when McCain led a Senate probe of Abramoff, he never called Reed to testify, then points out that Reed is currently helping to raise money for McCain's campaign.

Reed, who during his unsuccessfully 2006 bid for Georgia Lieutenant Governor was dogged by questions about his Abramoff ties, did indeed send out an email to friends recently announcing his participation in an Atlanta fundraiser for McCain last week. After Reed's involvement raised eyebrows, he was a no-show at the event itself.

After serving 17-months of a 30-month federal sentence for accepting bribes from disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Ohio Rep. Bob Ney (R), is set to be released on Saturday.

Time was taken off Ney's sentence upon completion of an alcohol rehabilitation program while at a minimum security prison, where he was first assigned before being sent to a half-way house in February of this year.

So what is a disgraced former U.S. represenative to do after nearly a year and half in the federal pen.?

Radio commentary of course!

From The Wheeling News-Register:

As a condition of his stay in the halfway house, Ney was required to work at a job. He was hired by his friend, Ellen Ratner, bureau chief for the Talk Radio News Service, who confirmed in March to a Capitol Hill newspaper that Ney was doing research for the news network.

But Ney was prohibited by federal regulations from being on-air until his release. Ratner indicated she planned to use him as a political contributor after he was placed on probation.

Interestingly, Talk Radio News is a media company with a liberal bent, quite the change for the former Republican congressman.

Looks like its not only Colorado Senate Candidate Bob Schaffer (R) whose troubled by his son's Facebook page.

From the Dayton Daily News:

University of Dayton officials said Tuesday, Aug. 5, they are considering charging student Justin Schaffer for a violation of the Standards of Behavior for posting offensive information on his Facebook page.

The 19-year-old son of Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer of Colorado on Monday apologized for an entry that had the words "High Five ... Who's Gay" over a photo of a waving Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. It also had a picture of the Pyramids with the words "Slavery Gets (expletive) Done."

UD said the Code of Conduct standard calls for students to respect all members of the community and the community at large.

Sister Annette Schmeling, vice president of student development and dean of students, said she will have an initial conversation with Schaffer about the postings and "explore the ways his Facebook page is not showing respect."

"We are addressing it and we expect to begin the adjudication process before classes start on August 20," Schmeling said in a written statement.

Over at the main TPM blog, Josh has a pretty thorough summary of the implications a "Slavery Gets Shit Done" image has on a candidate who has previously been tied to sweat shop labor in the Mariana Islands.

Of all the officials who pleaded guilty to crimes related to the corruption ring surrounding Jack Abramoff -- and there have been many -- Italia Federici has probably gotten off the lightest.

Federici, 38, served as a go-between for Abramoff and high-ranking officials in the Department of the Interior. She avoided jail time by agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors back in June 2007, when she pleaded guilty to tax evasion and obstructing a Senate investigation.

Now a federal judge has ruled she won't have to serve the 60 days in a halfway house that was supposed to be a part of her four years of probation -- for now at least. U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle agreed yesterday to hold that part of her sentence "in abeyance" while Federici remains on probation until 2011.

Federici's cooperation last year was key to the conviction of Steven Griles, formerly the deputy secretary of the Interior Department (and also her ex-boyfriend). Griles was sentenced to 10 months in prison last year.