Jim Ryun

GOPer Lucky in Real Estate, If Not at Polls

Justin Rood | December 28, 2006, 3:18PM

Rep. Jim Ryun (R-KS) lost his re-election bid this November -- but he won't leave Congress empty-handed.

Back in April, Paul broke the story of the strange house deal between Ryun and the DeLay/Abramoff-connected sham charity, U.S. Family Network.

In 2000, Ryun bought the Capitol Hill property from USFN for $100,000 below market -- odd, because the D.C. housing market was booming then, and houses were selling for above-market prices. The good deal has gotten even better, according to FECInfo.com: the house has recently been assessed at $920,870, up 125% from when he bought it in 2000.

Update: A belated but heartfelt tip of the hat to Reader GY, who alerted me to this.