Republican senatorial candidate Katherine Harris took $6,000 from U.S. Rep. Bob Ney's American Liberty PAC. When quizzed about it, Harris' spokesperson drawled, "The last time I checked, everyone is innocent until proven guilty."
Now Ney's pled guilty to bribery charges.
Reporters Marc Caputo and Lesley Clark of the Miami Herald called Harris on it yesterday:
Harris said Thursday that she can't return the money or give it to charity.
''The money came for my congressional race. It's been spent. It's gone. We'd have to research what we can do,'' Harris said.
Two days ago,
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Harris and fellow Florida Republican slimeball U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney among
Washington's 20 most corrupt politicians.
Altogether, six corrupt Florida Republicans took Ney money: Mel Martinez, Miami Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Rep. Mark Foley, Rep. John Mica, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite and Feeney.
Harris' response? She accused Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of accepting Abramoff money.
"She's trying to deflect attention from the fact that she's at the center of the largest congressional corruption scandal in history," [Nelson spokesman Dan] McLaughlin said. "There's a common thread between Ney, Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, Mitchell Wade and Katherine Harris. Four of them are in prison or are going there. What do you think will happen to Katherine?"
My vote: a cell next to George Bush.