IS JOHN SHADEGG A CROOK? WELL... WITH RENZI RESIGNING, SHADEGG GETS THE HONOR OF BEING ARIZONA'S LEAST ETHICAL CONGRESSMAN

click image to get an idea of how corrupt John Shadegg really is

A few days ago DWT helped break the story about how far right extremist John Shadegg, hard up for political donations in the face of a popular Democratic challenger, was getting around FEC rules to fatten his campaign coffers illegally. This morning Shadegg can't hold his head up around Washington or Arizona, where both Roll Call and the Arizona Republican have exposed his slimy tactics. It isn't likely he's in either place though. Rather than work on the desperate water problems plaguing his Paradise Valley constituents, Shadegg is sipping all over America to hold hands with John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman as the 3 Horsemen of the Apocalypse try for a White House take-over. Shadegg is a junior member of that little circle. Let's hope he's enjoying Orlando while the folks back home fight over bottled water.

Since Roll Call is by subscription only:

Arizona Democrats are asking federal regulators to look into campaign contributions made to a political action committee run by Rep. John Shadegg (R).

Shadegg is named in a complaint brought by the Arizona Democratic Party that is expected to be filed with the Federal Election Commission today. In it, Democrats allege that Shaddeg's campaign
committee and his PAC "may have colluded together to avoid the individual contribution limits to a federal candidate and in violation of several FEC regulations."

Last summer, the complaint alleges, Shadegg's re-election committee received two $4,600 payments — the maximum combined amount an individual may give per cycle for both the primary and general elections — from John Dawson and David Van Denburgh. Not soon after, the complaint continues, Dawson and Van Denburgh also each gave Shadegg's leadership PAC an additional $5,000 apiece, the maximum amount an individual may give to a federal PAC during a calendar year.

[If this sounds a little like what got Tom DeLay in trouble with the law, it should; it was the same kind of money-laundering scam]

The problem? Within weeks, Shadegg's leadership PAC had transferred $10,000 to Shadegg's primary campaign account, a transaction Democrats claim was "really designed to circumvent the individual contribution limits."

Democrats also allege that Dawson and Van Denburgh violated campaign finance laws by knowingly taking part in the scheme and claim Ian MacPherson, the treasurer for both committees, also violated federal law for glossing over the transaction.

"The questionable propriety of these contributions should have been obvious to the campaign's treasurer," the complaint alleges. "He is also the PAC's treasurer, so he would be familiar with the campaign finance reports of both political committees."

Shadegg's office declined to comment on the complaint.

When DeLay was first caught, his office initially refused comment. Then they went to denial. Eventually he resigned in disgrace. The citizens of AZ-03 would be well-served if Shadegg would skip the intermediate steps and just retire now. Bob Lord will be a far better representative for the district anyway.


UPDATE: CAUGHT LIKE A RAT

Shady Shadegg, facing possible prison time for his money laundering activities has returned the money. Will he resign? When?