Mark Green in the spotlight

On Talking Points Memo yesterday, Josh Marshall profiled Wisconsin congressman Mark Green and his ties to indicted GOP ringleader Tom DeLay and the indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

At issue is the well documented relationship between Green's chief of staff Mark Graul and Abramoff. Graul is now running Green's campaign for governor.

Abramoff is under investigation by grand juries in DC and Florida in relation to a scandal involving Indian casino gambling. Abramoff along with Ralph Reed, Grover Norquist, and Michael Scanlon are accused of lobbying against the casino in question in order to force them to pay for their lobbying services. In the process, they kept Congress quiet by allegedly giving gifts to DeLay and other Republican congressmen in exchange for their cooperation on the casino deal.

Graul insists he's never met Abramoff, but that begs the question as to why he has been coninually treated to sporting events and concerts courtesy of Abramoff.