Inside Politics

‘Seriously corrupt’

Congressional Democrats may be implicated by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is scheduled to report to federal prison today, ABC News reports.

“Sources close to the investigation say Abramoff has provided information on his dealings with and campaign contributions and gifts to ‘dozens of members of Congress and staff,’ including what Abramoff has reportedly described as ‘six to eight seriously corrupt Democratic senators,’ ” Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz reported at ABCNews.com.

“The sources say Abramoff was about to provide information about Bush administration officials, including Karl Rove, ‘accepting things of value’ from Abramoff. Rove has denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Abramoff. But the lobbyist visited the White House at least seven times, according to Secret Service logs obtained by Judicial Watch.”

Abramoff, sentenced to six years for fraud in a casino-boat gambling scheme, has been ordered to report to today to the Federal Correctional Institute in Cumberland, Md., the reporters said.

Cheney responds

Vice President Dick Cheney asked a federal judge yesterday to dismiss a lawsuit brought against him by a former CIA operative who says the White House leaked her identity to the press.

Mr. Cheney’s attorneys criticized the lawsuit in court papers, saying it invented constitutional rights, intruded on national security discussions and came two years after the statute of limitations had expired, the Associated Press reports.

Former CIA employee Valerie Plame Wilson claims that she was outed as retribution for her husband’s criticism of the administration’s prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald spent years investigating who revealed her identity to syndicated columnist Robert Novak in 2003, but nobody was charged with the leak. Mr. Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who faces trial in January on perjury and obstruction, is the only person charged in the case. Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, has since acknowledged that he was the initial and primary source for the columnist.

Bloggers bummed

Conservatives bloggers who were among the most enthusiastic supporters of outgoing Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele to become chairman of the Republican National Committee are also the harshest critics of the White House’s choice of Florida Sen. Mel Martinez for that post.

An online poll at HotAir.com drew more than 3,000 responses, with about 93 percent of the popular site’s visitors preferring Mr. Steele, prompting blogger Ian Schwartz to ask, “When will the RNC try to keep its diminishing base instead of looking for new members?”

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