REP. WEINER AND HOUSE ETHICS. Slate. “One place that any ethics investigation may begin: Weiner’s reported offer of his public relations team to a porn star who he was emailing with.” The Hill has a story here.
WHAT TO DO WITH REP. WEINER’S DONATIONS. The Times. “On Tuesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee began calling on Democratic lawmakers to return campaign donations from Mr. Weiner, a New York Democrat who has admitted having inappropriate online exchanges with women.”
FEDERAL COURT STRIKES CORPORATE CONTRIBUTION BAN. Again. The Times has a report here.
REPORT LOOKS AT IRS STAFFING. Bloomberg.
HOME DISTRICT FOOD IN CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES. The Times. “All member of Congress use their reception areas to show off their district’s best assets: there are flags, photo books, tchotchkes and oversize headwear emblazoned with the names of local teams. And in many offices, that local pride extends to food from the district, whether packaged snack foods produced by giant employers, potato chips unknown outside the region or the occasional agricultural jewel.” More here on the “home state” products provision of the House Rules.
SPEAKER’S EXPENSES IN THE NEWS. Roll Call.
R FRESHMEN IN THE NEWS. Politico. “They rode into Washington on an anti-spending wave, but some House Republican freshmen are already enjoying one of the perks of incumbency, spending their office budgets on everything from $1,000-a-month car leases to pricey online advertising contracts.”
BOB BARR ON EDWARDS INDICTMENT. Here. “If we are to believe the case presented by prosecutors, money given to conceal Edwards’ affair was a campaign contribution for no reason other than because it helped hide his inappropriate behavior from voters; which would, if revealed, have caused voters to question his ‘family man’ image. While this conclusion is undoubtedly accurate, the question from a federal criminal law standpoint is, ‘so what?’ Having friends financially support a pregnant mistress so the wife and others will be less likely to discover the sordid affair, is not criminal.”
IT”S GOOD TO BE THE GUV. The Post. “Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), in a recently filed annual ethics report, disclosed more than 150 tokens of affection and gratitude he received during 2010.”
TEETH FOR ALBANY ETHICS? The Times.
GRASSROOTS AND WASHINGTON STATE RECALLS. Bill Maurer discusses the topic here. “Indeed, right now Washington’s campaign finance laws are one of the principle obstacles in the effort to recall Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.