Pat Leahy an "Abramoff Democrat"

The Dems are scrambling to deny that Jack Abramoff and his associates made any contributions to Democrats, but Sen. Pat Leahy is getting heat from the home folks over the funds he received (from Newsmax):

While national Democrats are calling the Jack Abramoff lobbying imbroglio a "Republican scandal," top Vermont Democrat, Sen. Pat Leahy, is being labeled an "Abramoff Democrat" by home state critics.

The Vermont Guardian has uncovered thousands of dollars in contributions to Leahy by lawfirms linked to Abramoff - though the senator's spokesman says that any suggestion of a relationship to the disgraced Republican is ridiculous.

"It’s preposterous to even think that Jack Abramoff would do anything to support a progressive Democratic leader like Patrick Leahy," Ed Pagano, Leahy’s chief of staff, told the paper.

However, the Guardian says it has discovered that Leahy "received thousands of dollars from attorneys at Preston, Gates, Ellis, Meeds and Rouvelas, and Greenberg Traurig, the two high-powered legal firms where Abramoff hung his hat."

While Pagano said the donations were coincidental, Jim Barnett, executive director of the Vermont Republican Party, told the paper:
"Everyone knows that this is a process called bundling, and that Abramoff would walk into the firm and ask attorneys to donate $1,000, $500, or $250 to a campaign. This is Abramoff money and this is just an example of the utter hypocrisy that this issue only affects Republicans.

"Pat Leahy is an Abramoff Democrat,” Barnett insisted.

I expect there will be a lot more stories like this.