Mel Martinez pocketed big money from Abramoff.

[Dr.Phool]

Was also lobbied by convict Bob Ney for Abramoff.

I guess he's the perfect guy to chair the RNC. If he steps down from his Senate seat, who does Jebthro appoint to fill his job, himself or Katherine Harris?

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001539.php

Ney Admits to Lobbying Florida Senator
By Paul Kiel - September 15, 2006, 4:40 PM

It hasn't gotten much attention, but Bob Ney's guilty plea released today contained dirt on at least one other politician.

In the document, Ney fessed up to lobbying Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL), then a Bush cabinet official, on behalf of an Abramoff client. The official's department later acted favorably toward Abramoff's client, according to news accounts.

Ney admitted to arranging a January, 2003 meeting with Mel Martinez, then Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to " the interests of Abramoff's Native American Indian Tribal clients."

(snip)

And he got plenty. According to The Miami Herald, Abramoff's client The Saginaw Chippewa, for whom Abramoff was working hard to win HUD money, was awarded about $4 million from 2002 to 2004.

Martinez was richly rewarded. Just two months after he left HUD in order to make a run for the Senate in early 2004, his campaign netted $250,000 from a fundraiser co-chaired by Abramoff.

[Old and In the Way]

1. Does anyone really think the RNC is going to be run by someone with integrity?

Given the crime and corruption that the RNC condones, I doubt that any of their closets will be opened for an honest person to browse through. They need to keep it within the family.

[Octafish]

5. Mebbe Conyers and Co can go through the wide selection of BushCo skeletons...

...over the coming two years. It certainly would give the public something nice to talk about in the run-up to 2008.

Ha ha ha ha (maniacal DEM Donkey laugh)!!!!

[napi21]

2. Ooooo, can this keep up for another 2 years?

I'm thinkin' there are enough dirty Pubs, that we could do at least one a week from now until the Nov. 08 election and still not get them all!

I love it that they've chosen Martinez to head the RNC! I can't wait until he gets perp walked out of court, just like his buddy Ney did today!

[NastyRiffraff]

3. Par for the course...

According to the Republicans, this is the perfect guy to head up the RNC. He was on the take then, he'll be on the take now. He's prolly bestest buds with another one on the take...Darth Cheney.

[lapfog_1]

4. Rumor is that he won't resign from the Senate...

[bigtree]

6. and won't give any of it back like others did

[KharmaTrain]

7. There A Major Stench Of Abramoff In The Interior Dept., Too

Paul Kiel was reporting on that last year and I haven't heard much since as this investigation is so widespread. Gail Norton is one corrupt cookie that needs to be cracked as well.