A. Barton Hinkle on the Real Government Jobs Scandal
The real scandal, former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley once said, is not what's illegal but what's legal. The saga of Phil Puckett provides further evidence for that thesis. As A. Barton Hinkle explains, Puckett, a Democrat, was apparently enticed to resign from the Virginia State Senate and thereby hand control of the body over to Republicans. What enticed him? According to emails recently obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request, Republican Del. Terry Kilgore, chairman of the state's tobacco commission, reached out to Puckett "to discuss potential roles(s) for you as an employee of the Commission." In other words, Puckett might have sold the power of his office for personal gain.