The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal won't die.
Yesterday, it was reported that Kevin Koonce, a former staffer to Commerce Secretary nominee Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), is the person referred to in court documents as "Staffer F." The documents detail charges relating to a lobbyist providing Staffer F gifts in exchange for preferable legislative treatment. Koonce has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing.
The report follows two other news items relating to Abramoff in recent days. Last week, lobbyist Todd Boulanger, a former congressional aide and Abramoff associate, pled guilty to illegally providing congressional staffers gifts in return for favorable treatment for his clients.
And earlier this week came reports that Fraser Verrusio, a former aide who worked for Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is also implicated in the scandal. Verrusio was identified as the staffer referred to in court papers as "Staffer D," who accepted an expenses-paid trip to a 2003 World Series game in New York from Boulanger and James Hirni, another Abramoff associate who pled guilty late last year.
That trip also led to the downfall of former staffer Trevor Blackann, who also pled guilty last year to charges related to the trip and other gifts he received but failed to disclose.
You can see LegiStorm's other blog posts about recent news relating to Abramoff here.
UPDATE (12/9/2009):
The Washington Post reports that Koonce was cleared and the Justice Deparmtent has decided not to pursue any charges against him.
