The rumors have been swirling here in Missouri for a couple of weeks now that the FBI was investigating.....something. Initially, there was no party affiliation confirmed of who and what, just vague stories that the FBI was questioning various people. Roy Temple's excellent blog,
Fired Up Missouri, alluded to this being a (big shocker) Republican scandal, and today the
AP confirms. Young Matt Blunt, son of Rep Roy Blunt, and brother of lobbyists Andy & Amy Blunt, and stepson of lobbying Abigail Perlman Blunt, is in hot water:
Federal investigators have begun interviewing former state contractors about the way vehicle license offices have been managed under Gov. Matt Blunt's administration, The Associated Press has learned....
A former contract agent for one of the license offices said Friday that she has been contacted several times within the past 10 days by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Other former "fee office" contractors also have been interviewed by the FBI, said the former contract agent who requested anonymity because the interviews are ongoing.
A quick "fee office" primer: the vehicle license offices have long been political patronage favors - the fee office is awarded to donors, supporters, etc., - awarded by both parties. In addition, there were always additional state vehicle license offices. However, Matt Blunt recently yanked those and made all fee offices political gifts. From the AP article:
Missouri has 183 privately run offices that collect such things as vehicle sales taxes and drivers' license fees on behalf of the state. They commonly are called "fee offices" because the state contractors get to keep a fee for each transaction.
Fee offices have long been political patronage plums - awarded by governors to loyal supporters - that frequently change hands when the governor's office switches between Democratic or Republican control
One area the FBI is apparently investigating is a new arrangement under Blunt, whereby contractors are awarded the offices, who then turn them over to a third party.
The FBI is particularly interested in the role that Garrett Lott has played. Lott was in charge of Matt Blunt's campaign finance during the last election and was awarded the cash cow South County fee office.
There is a web of campaign contributors apparently operating under such vague-sounding names as "Highridge Services" who were suggested as the third party operators of the fee offices.
And guess to whom who Garrett Lott has ties? Were you thinking Jim Talent?
a former official with the Blunt and Ashcroft campaign. Mr. Lott remains as Secretary and a member of the board of directors of Missourians For Matt Blunt, Inc. Until January of this year, Mr. Lott was the Treasurer of Senator Jim Talent's re-election committee.
The address for the Talent committee is the offices or Mr. Lott, the same offices that he runs his fee office scheme out of. In January, Mr. Talent removed Mr. Lott as Treasurer of his committee. However, in March, Mr. Lott was restored as Custodian of Records for the campaign. In addition, Mr. Lott is President of the Talent for Senate Exploratory Committee, Inc. which Talent reinstated as a corporation in January of this year.
This is complicated, dry, and really, what could be more boring that vehicle license offices? But this is typical of the hypocrisy of the "family values" crowd, who campaigned hard on "protecting marriage" (see Perlman, Abigail and Blunt, Roy, their dating and subsequent break up of Roy's marriage), ethics (see Atria and the National Republican Congressional Committee's ties to Tom Delay's US Family Network while Abigail was finance director).
In fact, here ya go:
On October 20, 1999, during Perlman's tenure as Finance Director at the NRCC, it made a controversial $500,000 contribution to the U.S. Family Network, a front group used by Rep. Tom DeLay and his allies for various political activities. In 2004, the NRCC was fined $280,000 by the FEC for its contribution to the U.S. Family Network.
Here's one so heinous...
In June of 2003, the Washington Post reported that one of Rep. Blunt's first acts as Majority Whip was to attempt to secretly insert a provision into the Homeland Security Bill, that would have benefitted Ms. Perlman's company, Phillip Morris. Mr. Blunt's actions were so outrageous, not even Majority Leader Tom DeLay could stomach them.
Only hours after Rep. Roy Blunt was named to the House's third-highest leadership job in November ['03], he surprised his fellow top Republicans by trying to quietly insert a provision benefiting Philip Morris USA into the 475-page bill creating a Department of Homeland Security, according to several people familiar with the effort.
Got that? So bad that "not even... Tom DeLay could stomach them." That's pretty bad, I would say, if the bug man can't digest it. The Blunts are known for being in bed with lobbyists:
Several Republicans who learned of the November effort have privately expressed concern that Blunt pushed the provision partly because of his personal relationship with Philip Morris lobbyist Abigail Perlman. Blunt, who several Republicans said spends considerable time with Perlman, would not discuss their relationship or whether the two had talked about the provision.
Matt shouldn't be held to the sins of his father. Unless of course he is plying in the family trade of screwing his constituents (even if he's not screwing a lobbyist, literally). And, it appears he has plent of his own sins and transgressions to keep him busy. These people just flat out stink.
His poll ratings are in the toilet here. The latest Surevy USA has him at 37-59 approve/disapprove. He won by carrying rural Missourians and this was largely due to "saving marriage". (The Kerry campaign pulled out of Missouri which hurt, and maybe killed, Claire McCaskill's chances, but that's another story) Those outstate Missourians seem to be re-thinking things as their healthcare has been stripped and their kids are dying in Iraq, and, hey, the fact that gays can't get married no longer seems to be the most dire threat they are facing.
Bringing it all together - this scandal touches on Jim Talent's campaign. I believe we have a better than decent chance of taking the Senate seat in the Fall. If you're so inclined, check out Claire McCaskill's website and volunteer or donate.