U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., could soon step down in the wake of a federal investigation into his involvement in a federal land swap deal and FBI raids of an insurance agency owned by his wife.

His resignation could come as early as Friday or soon after, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Well that went pretty quick...

Renzi could soon resign U.S. House seat - The Business Journal of Phoenix:

The two senior congressional aides spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the document in question hasn't been made public and because the Justice Department has allowed investigators to read it but not to photocopy it. One of the aides, who also was familiar with Sampson's closed-door testimony to investigators earlier this month, said that Sampson couldn't recall specifics but said he'd been told that senior Justice officials had concerns about Heffelfinger.

The Justice Department Thursday declined to confirm or deny the report.

Heffelfinger's case interests congressional investigators because he worked in one of the states that White House political adviser Karl Rove identified as an election battleground, and because he was replaced by a 34-year-old Bush administration loyalist who'd been a member of Gonzales' inner circle.

He left before he could be fired and his replacement is so hated the department heads all took pay cuts so they wouldn't have to deal with her. Yep, that sounds about right for these guys.

Bush administration targeted another top federal prosecutor

The administration maintains that the previously undisclosed meetings were appropriate. Those discussing the briefings on the record yesterday uniformly described them as merely "informational briefings about the political landscape.

How much will you give me for this bridge?

Political Briefings At Agencies Disclosed - washingtonpost.com

The delays, which postponed key approvals in the case until after the election, raise new questions about whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or other officials may have weighed political issues in some investigations. The Arizona U.S. attorney then overseeing the case, Paul Charlton, was told he was being fired in December, one of eight federal prosecutors dismissed in the past year.

Some more napalm for the Gonzo effigy, but there is a much larger problem here. Gonzo, as demonstrated at last weeks hearing, pretty much doesn't wipe his own ass without a green light from the oval office. This mess isn't going to end with him.

Delays in Renzi Case Raise More Gonzales Questions - WSJ.com

In late 2005, the White House-run President's Committee on Integrity and Efficiency opened an investigation into that charge and several others, including accusations that Bloch's office retaliated against employees who took issue with internal policies and discriminated against employees who were gay or members of religious minorities. The investigation is pending.

The guy being investigated is the guy going after Rove? Please, try he's the guy who wants to say Rove didn't do anything bad so he can try to get help with the guys who are after him.

The Blotter - Rove Investigator Faces Own Allegations

Yet another shoe drops in the Jack Abramoff investigation. A former aide to Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Mark Zachares, looks set to plead guilty to corruption charges.
...
The document does not implicate Rep. Young, but it does mention that in 2002, Abramoff "assisted Zachares in obtaining his position as a staffer on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee," which Young chaired. And Young has come up often in the course of the Abramoff scandal.

Okay, at this point I'm seriously thinking scorecard. If this were fiction no one would believe it. It's not, it's the GOP self immolating.

Former Aide to GOP Rep To Plead Guilty

The FBI has asked U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney for information about his dealings with Jack Abramoff as part of its ongoing investigation into the lobbyist convicted of defrauding clients.

FBI agent Kevin Luebke refused to say whether Feeney, a Republican from the Orlando area, is under federal investigation.

At this point, we're starting to need a scorecard. Who's next?

Worldandnation: FBI asks Tom Feeney about trip with Abramoff

On Monday, Bush said Gonzales "went up and gave a very candid assessment, and answered every question he could possibly answer, honestly answer, in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job."

(emphasis mine)
He what??? If Fredo's comments in front of the judiciary committee increased anyone's confidence in anything, it's that the actions taken at that hearing mean Fredo's job is to take a beating to direct attention away from the White House turning the Department of Justice into the enforcement arm of the Republican Party. Fredo is a human shield.

Gonzales Says He's Staying on the Job

Frank: "Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker - does [Republican] whining come out of my time?"

Barney Frank once again blistering the folks across the aisle. Hilarious!

Crooks and Liars » Barney Frank: “Mr. Speaker - does [Republican] whining come out of my time?”

When division personnel staff later compared the remaining interviewees with the candidates struck form the list, one common denominator appeared repeatedly: most of those struck form the list had interned for a Hill Democrat, clerked for a Democratic judge, worked for a "liberal" cause, or otherwise appeared to have "liberal" leanings. Summa cum laude graduates of both Yale and Harvard were rejected for interviews.

Wow. Gasoline on the bonfire? This one is more like napalm...

doj-employees.pdf (application/pdf Object)