Congressman Alan Grayson has gotten a lot of negative press for everything from deranged rants to accusations of violence by his ex-wife. But despite acting like an unhinged lunatic, he may actually be a surprisingly competent politician behind his DailyKos Netroots populist veneer.
Just look at how successfully he seems to have merged his business interests into his politics. Sure he's been accused of being crazy. Crazy like a fox.
"I didn't do anything wrong," Grayson declared Tuesday, calling it a "politically inspired witch hunt".
We've never heard that one before. So what witches are being hunted now?
Grayson had a previously undisclosed buyout agreement with his old law firm allowing the Orlando congressman to collect contingency fees for multiple pending cases involving the federal government. The Office of Congressional Ethics report found there is "substantial reason to believe" Grayson violated federal law with that arrangement and recommended the Ethics Committee subpoena a principal of Grayson's old firm who, after consulting with the congressman, refused to cooperate with investigators.
Grayson ran a hedge fund that improperly used the congressman's name, gave him a fiduciary responsibility to undisclosed investors and at least once appears to have paid him management fees. House rules bar members from using their name on or being compensated for any legal or financial service for which the member has a fiduciary responsibility to look out the interests of clients.
A staffer in Grayson's congressional office who also worked for his hedge fund used official time and resources to work for the fund, a violation of federal law.
Grayson, while serving in Congress, invested in limited partnerships in the energy sector that did business with the federal government, including selling fuel to the Defense Department.
Burn him, he's a witch.
The Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Ethics Committee issue subpoenas to require Grayson's ex-wife to provide financial records. She also refused to cooperate with the investigators.
That would be the wife who accused Grayson of assaulting her. Because Alan Grayson is one of the finest human beings I know and a real credit to his party.