A 76-page FBI affidavit says the 51-year-old Democrat was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate [...]]]>

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on federal charges that accuse him of trying to benefit from his ability to appoint President-elect Barack Obama’s replacement in the U.S. Senate.

A 76-page FBI affidavit says the 51-year-old Democrat was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

The affidavit contends Blagojevich discussed getting a substantial salary for himself at a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions. It also says Blagojevich talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director’s fees.

The Senate’s longest-serving Republican, Stevens was found guilty on all seven counts of making false statements on Senate financial documents.

And you thought Sarah Palin was the most corrupt Republican from Alaska…

_She has accepted dozens of gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars since taking office, including two free [...]]]> _She pummeled opponents for giving oil companies and other businesses too much control of state government. Yet she appointed the founder of an engineering firm that received $6.8 million in state business as head of the transportation department.

_She has accepted dozens of gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars since taking office, including two free trips last year that she failed to report on disclosure forms, despite criticizing state legislators for the gifts they take.

_She is under another investigation, accused of misusing her office to campaign against a voter referendum calling for tighter mining regulations. Her husband, Todd, has accepted free trips from a mining company to look at their proposed new site.

_Another ethics complaint, unresolved, accuses her staff of finding a state job for a friend and campaign contributor.

Mr. Stevens, 84, was indicted on seven counts of failing to report income. The charges are related to [...]]]>

Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the longest-serving Republican senator in United States history and a figure of great influence in Washington as well as in his home state, has been indicted in connection with a federal corruption investigation.

Mr. Stevens, 84, was indicted on seven counts of failing to report income. The charges are related to renovations on his home and to gifts he has received. They arise from an investigation that has been under way for more than a year, in connection with the senator’s relationship with a businessman who oversaw the home-remodeling project.

“I don’t see anything unfair about it, and I didn’t even know it was a deal.”

July 15, 2008:

Representative Charles B. Rangel has decided to move his campaign office out of one of four rent-stabilized apartments he leases in Harlem, his spokesman said. Mr. Rangel’s spokesman said the congressman would not discuss details of [...]]]> July 11, 2008:

“I don’t see anything unfair about it, and I didn’t even know it was a deal.”

July 15, 2008:

Representative Charles B. Rangel has decided to move his campaign office out of one of four rent-stabilized apartments he leases in Harlem, his spokesman said. Mr. Rangel’s spokesman said the congressman would not discuss details of his decision.

“Mr. Rangel has indicated that he is not willing to say any more,” the spokesman, Emile Milne, said.

If he was doing nothing wrong, why the sudden change of heart?

Message to Congress – longtime incumbents like Rangel care more about getting sweetheart deals and being re-elected for life than serving constituents. Term limits would change this by prioritizing policies over the continued concentration of power.