You mean he didn't step down from the Commerce nod because he woke up on Thursday and decided he was more conservative than he was on Wednesday?
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's former nominee to become commerce secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg, steered taxpayer money to his home state's redevelopment of a former Air Force base even as he and his brother engaged in real estate deals there, an Associated Press investigation found.
Gregg, R-N.H., personally has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Cyrus Gregg's office projects at the Pease International Tradeport, a Portsmouth business park built at the defunct Pease Air Force Base, once home to nuclear bombers. Judd Gregg has collected at least $240,017 to $651,801 from his investments there, Senate records show, while helping arrange at least $66 million in federal aid for the former base.
But read the whole thing - it's very detailed. And there's even a Bonnie Newman connection (the former Gregg CoS tapped to replace him). I think it's fair to say that this is a game changer in the Legend of Judd Gregg.
More:
Under new Senate ethics rules, Gregg had to certify that federal aid he directed to specific projects was not intended solely to enrich him or immediate family, including siblings. Senators are also supposed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, though the Senate Ethics Committee seldom investigates or disciplines senators when questions are raised about their activities.
I guess the AP, much as I criticize them from time to time, isn't five years old either.
The karmic part, of course, is that, had Gregg decided not to cap off an electorally lucky career with a non-elected post, this scandal, hiding in broad daylight, would likely not have been uncovered.
Crossposted, with very slight edits, from Blue Hampshire.
Update: Title changed based on this comment suggestion.
Update2x: Thanks for the recs folks - I was out doing errands and was happy to see this story get traction coming home.
Over at Blue Hampshire Judd's antics are well-known, but if you are new to this glaring example of two-faced GOPism, come visit our Judd Gregg tag for everything that we've covered involving him. It's a sad, scary trail of woe - like that time he won $800k in Powerball and voted against increasing home heating assistance on the same day.