Cross-posted from The Lehigh Valley Independent
We recently received a tip to check out Rep. Charlie Dent's relationship with former Representative Rick Renzi. (And if anybody has any other tips, please send them over!)
Here's the tip:
I ... hope you can write something up about Charlie Dent's political fundraising committee, DentPAC. Dent gave $2,500 to Rick Renzi while he was listed one of the most corrupt politicians in America. Renzi was indicted for corruption in 2008.
Below is what we found and confirmed:
According to OpenSecrets.Org, Charlie Dent's political action fundraising committee, DentPAC, did indeed give $2,500 to Rick Renzi in April 2007. For perspective, this is the third largest contribution that DentPAC has given to any member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
So what, you ask? Just the usual favor for a GOP colleague, right? Well, let's take a closer look at Mr. Renzi.
Rick Renzi concluded his third term as the Representative for Arizona's first district at the end of 2008. He decided not to run for re-election that year. After squeaking out a three-point victory in his first race in 2002, Renzi managed to win his subsequent elections in 2004 and 2006 by the substantial margins of 23 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
With such sizable margins of victory, why would Renzi opt-out of running again for reelection?
I'm not a psychic, but I'd be willing to place a bet on it having something to do with the fact that, on February 22, 2008, Renzi was indicted on 35 counts for misusing his office for financial gain, conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and extortion. In October 2009, the government added a conspiracy to commit insurance fraud charge to the indictment. Renzi was also accused of financing portions of his 2002 campaign with improper loans.
His prosecutors said that, if convicted, Renzi could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and extortion in addition to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering along with concealing money laundering, as well as lesser sentences for convictions on other counts.
His trial was set to take place this month, however, it has already been delayed three times before, so I wouldn't hold your breath. They keep pushing it back to give the judge time to hear pre-trial motions, including Renzi's lawyers unsuccessful effort to have most of the evidence against him tossed back in September 2009.
Now, as we noted earlier and CampaignMoney.Com confirms, DentPAC donated $2,500 to Congressman Renzi on April 25th, 2007. But Renzi didn't get indicted until 2008, right? So no big deal?
Still a big deal.
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reports (PDF) that Rep. Rick Renzi made their "Top 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" list in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Pretty impressive for a relatively short stint in congress.
Renzi had been on the CREW list for two and a half years prior to Dent donating to him in 2007. Perhaps more alarming, according to MSNBC, Mr. Renzi stepped down from all panels in the House after the FBI raided his family business little more than a week prior to April 25, 2007.
So Congressman Dent's PAC donated $2,500 to Congressman Renzi after Renzi was visited by the FBI and he stepped down from all of his House committee panels? Interesting.
Of course, Renzi deserves his day in court, but the evidence points to a pretty clear-cut, corrupt politician; one that anybody on either side of the political spectrum should be happy to get rid of in an attempt to clean up congress. It seems as if Congressman Dent felt otherwise.