Roll call is reporting that the FBI has raided a business tied to Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) as part of an ongoing investigation into the lawmaker. Knowledgeable readers may remember that there are suspicions that Paul Charlton, the former U.S. Attorney in Arizona, was deep-sixed by Alberto Gonzalez in part because of his probe into Renzi's activities.
Details of the raid on Patriot Insurance Agency in Sonoita, Ariz., were not immediately available. Renzi's most recent financial disclosure form lists the business as an asset belonging to his wife, Roberta, and valued at $1 million to $5 million.
Little is known about the inquiries into Renzi's activities, but according to media reports the Justice Department has been running a two-track investigation into Renzi regarding a land deal, as well as a piece of legislation he helped steer that may have improperly benefited a major campaign contributor. It was not immediately clear which investigation the raid pertained to, and neither his attorney nor his spokesman could be immediately reached for comment.
As a result of the raid, Renzi is stepping down from his seat on the House Intelligence Committee, according to a statement from his office obtained Thursday evening by Roll Call.
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Is this the Martha Stewart gambit again?
Rather than go after the countless big-money insider traders robbing the country, they picked on little Martha Stewart as a whipping-girl stand-in for the real robbers.
Instead of going after Halliburton and that ilk, they go for strictly small potatoes -- a paltry few million. What about the hundreds of billions that are being stolen?