Now it's a scandal

Timothy Noah (Chatterbox) comments on the Nick Smith Medicare bribe.

The only difficult part to this investigation will be getting Smith himself to back up his accusation that money was offered. After talking about it for a few days, Smith clammed up (he never returned Chatterbox's phone calls), and then issued a quite obviously untrue press release denying he'd been offered any money. (It's a back-handed compliment to Smith that his inept attempt to bury this story suggests he lacks much experience at this sort of thing.) But telling whoppers to the public is perfectly legal; Smith surely knows that telling one to a government official conducting a criminal investigation can land you in jail. So really, Mr. Attorney General, this should be much easier for you than it's been for the press. According to the Post, Smith's position now is that "he will cooperate with any official inquiry but does not want to point fingers publicly." Chatterbox takes that to mean that Smith will tell the truth if he absolutely has to.

The question, Mr. Attorney General, is whether you want to hear it. Given the now-likely involvement of somebody in the House Republican leadership, Chatterbox assumes the answer is no.


...Until now, the question of whether Smith had specifically fingered the House Republican leadership has been a little bit foggy. But the Post has produced two witnesses. Now your next question, Mr. Attorney General, is going to be, "How on Earth am I supposed to get a Washington Post reporter to reveal his sources?" Dude, you don't have to! One of them talked on the record! Read past the jump and you'll see, plain as day, the following:

Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.), who was present at the dinner, recalled Smith saying it was "people from leadership" who had offered the money. He said Smith did not say who it was, but he assumed it was someone who controlled a "large leadership PAC, who can raise a hundred thousand dollars by hosting a few fundraisers."

"I think something happened," Gutknecht said. "If it happened, then somebody in the leadership is guilty of at least gross stupidity. ... Whoever made that comment should resign."

Rep. Gutknecht's phone number is (202) 225-2472. If he's not there, leave a message on his answering machine.  article

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.