THOMAS KONTOGIANNIS-- THE CORRUPT REPUBLICAN BUSINESSMAN WHO TIES BUSH AND CUNNINGHAM TOGETHER-- IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO PRISON TODAY

Several years ago I started writing about Republican "businessman" and convicted felon, Thomas Kontogiannis, and I've been saying that not only was he one of the keys to the Randy "Duke" Cunningham scandal but that he is the guy who bribed Bush to the tune of $400,000. (Big deal, huh? Take a look here, here, and here). Today's San Diego Union-Tribune reports some movement in the hushed up case... finally.

His guilty plea was unsealed this week. "Kontogiannis said he helped finance the purchase of Cunningham's $2.5 million house in Rancho Santa Fe, in a deal that evolved from two military contractors' alleged plans to bribe the congressman."

The home purchase – and the sale of Cunningham's previous home in Del Mar – was at the center of a scandal that resulted in a prison sentence of more than eight years for the former legislator.

The housing transactions were part of a bribery scheme involving military contractors Mitchell Wade of Washington, D.C., and Brent Wilkes of Poway, according to Cunningham's guilty plea and other court documents.

In return for numerous favors-- including the purchase of Cunningham's Del Mar house at an inflated price, the financing of his Rancho Santa Fe home and gifts of Persian rugs, antique furniture, a Rolls-Royce and free vacations-- the two contractors received millions of dollars in contracts through the House Appropriations Committee, where Cunningham sat, according to federal prosecutors.

But still only a sub rosa mention of the Bush bribe, which was how all this got started."Kontogiannis, who had sought Cunningham's help when fighting bribery charges in New York, said he agreed to the transactions 'because he wanted to maintain his relationship with Cunningham, a powerful public official who could assist him in many ways,' according the plea." The main way was to get to Bush so Kontogiannis could get the presidential pardon he needed so badly to continue doing business with the federal government. The media doesn't like mentioning the presidential pardon and it has been thoroughly covered up. All the Union-Tribune had to say about it today was "After the [previous] guilty plea, Kontogiannis asked Cunningham to help him secure a presidential pardon. Kontogiannis met with lawyers that Cunningham recommended, but he eventually dropped the idea of a pardon because it was 'not worth the aggravation.'”

He now faces 10 years in jail, although Bush is likely to pardon him to keep him quiet.