Listening to C-Span discussion of the WaPo/Jeff Smith article on Ed Buckham/Abramoff et al (noted below). So Ed Buckham and his wife Wendy made payments of over $3000 a month to DeLay's wife Christine, for three years. From the Post: "During this latter period, Buckham and his wife, Wendy, acting through their consulting firm, made monthly payments averaging $3,200-$3,400 apiece to DeLay's wife, Christine, for three of the years in which he collected money from the USFN and some other clients." That approximately $125,000 in payments to Christine from the Buckham-controlled consulting firm answers the question of what the DeLays might have personally financially gotten out of the arrangement.

Meantime, this deep in the piece is also notably outrageous: "The following year [in 1999], the National Republican Congressional Committee gave the [US Family Network] a $500,000 check to finance additional radio ads in the districts of vulnerable Democrats. Buckham told the FEC he solicited the check, and others told FEC investigators it was paid over the objections of the NRCC's director and chief counsel. Of the $500,000, USFN gave just $300,000 to another nonprofit group for the ads. In his deposition, Buckham explained that he retained a portion of the Republican Party's check as a commission. 'If I raise money, I get a portion,' Buckham said. 'It is in my contract.'"

Buckham personally took a $200,000 "commission" from the NRCC?? Is there another word for that?

Update: This accompanying WP graphic, "Where the money went" is helpful.

Posted by Laura at March 26, 2006 01:08 PM