The storm enveloping Rick Renzi and John Doolittle are beginning to gather over Don Young (Alaska), as Paul Kiel reports that a former aide is about to plead guilty to charges surrounding Jack Abramoff.
Yet another shoe drops in the Jack Abramoff investigation. A former aide to Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Mark Zachares, looks set to plead guilty to corruption charges.
The Justice Department filed a criminal information today on Zachares, laying out the facts to which he'll be pleading guilty. You can read it here. A plea hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow.
According to the document, Zachares and Abramoff had what they called their "two year plan": Zacheres would work for Abramoff on the inside, taking advantage of his congressional position to throw business Abramoff's way, and eventually, when Zachares left Congress, Abramoff would reward him. As the information reads: Abramoff "would 'credit' Zachares with the 'business' Zachares... referred or developed for Abramoff's firm, and would ultimately employ Zachares as a lobbyist credited 'with business,' warranting a high annual salary."
Young is safe for now, but he better watch his back.
The document does not implicate Rep. Young, but it does mention that in 2002, Abramoff "assisted Zachares in obtaining his position as a staffer on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee," which Young chaired. And Young has come up often in the course of the Abramoff scandal.
THe Abramoff scandal has become the Republicans' Chinese water torture: a constand drip of bad news that claims one member after another. It's possible that Young managed to avoid getting his hands messy, but I tihnk we'll eventually find his fingerprints on the cookie jar.