It looks like the next GOP scandal is about to break in AZ. According to information that began surfacing last Thursday, the U. S. Attorney's office is sitting on an indictment of Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi (AZ-01). In a complicated land deal that included large profits for friend and benefactor.
The Pheonix Times actually made the initial connection but did not have the information to close the loop. Now, word has it, that the FBI has Renzi on tape saying he won't support the land transaction unless his former business partner scores big bucks.
Lofty Donkey says an AP reporter has the story. I haven't heard that one but I have heard that it would break in the next few days. This hot rumor has been swirling around AZ in both Democrat and Republican circles.
Renzi has been named one of the twenty most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Renzi was elected to Congress in 2002 with less than 50% of the vote and financial problems. He had houses in foreclosure and a struggling real estate business. Now, after two terms in Congress, his financial woes are over. Funny how that happens.
Renzi's opponent is a fiery lawyer named Ellen Simon. She's put enough of her own money in and raised even more to make this a dog fight of a race. Renzi has gone seriously negative on Simon, indicating that his own polls show that she is either leading or has the momentum.
Stay tuned.