Roskam's Fund-Raising Ties to D.C. Lobbyists

In her column in your Chicago Sun-Times, Lynn Sweet gives us a glimpse into the degree to which Peter Roskam is already strongly allied with the scandal-ridden syndicate of Republicans and lobbyists in Washington:

Former Rep. Michael Flanagan (R-Ill.) is a Washington lobbyist. He raises money from other lobbyists for congressional candidates he wants to help. When we talked on Wednesday, he was in the midst of planning fund-raisers for Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.) and state Sen. Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton), who is running to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). ***

If Flanagan was not nice enough to tell me, there would be no official document filed any place that would indicate he was organizing fund-raisers for Gutknecht -- a 1994 "classmate" -- or Roskam. Federal disclosure reports call only for listing direct donations or in-kind contributions. ***

The Jan. 25 Roskam event in Washington developed after Flanagan got a call from Roskam's campaign manager, Ryan McLaughlin. "He called me and asked me for my help early in the cycle," Flanagan said. ***

Until [Jack Abramoff's guilty plea to mail fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy charges], pending ethics, lobbying and campaign finance reform legislation authored by members of both parties was buried by GOP leaders.

Of course the GOP leader most responsible for burying those anti-corruption reforms was Roskam mentor and Abramoff buddy, Tom DeLay. Mr. DeLay is facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

Well, so far...

Cross-posted at the So-Called "Austin Mayor" blog