As if this Republican Congress were not corrupt enough, yet more allegations of GOP Representatives misusing their office for their own gain or the benefit of friends and relatives has emerged. Perhaps unsuprisingly, the latest charges sound familiar, come from a familiar district and surround a familiar Congressman.

Not more than two weeks ago, the FBI raided the the homes of Karen Weldon and Charles Sexton, the daughter and good friend of GOP Rep. Curt Weldon, as a part of a mounting probe into his excessively close ties to Russian firms, which potentially hired his daughter to curry favor from him. Now Weldon, who is in a pitched reelection campaign against Netroots-endorsee Joe Sestak (with whom I spoke back in May), is subject of a rather unflattering investigative piece by Leslie Wayne in Tuesday's issue of The New York Times.

In November at the five-star Hotel Splendido overlooking the harbor in Portofino, a playground of the Italian rich, Representative Curt Weldon was the center of attention.

The second-ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Mr. Weldon was a main speaker at a conference sponsored in part by the Italian military giant Finmeccanica. At the gathering of Italian, British and American political leaders, Mr. Weldon, of Pennsylvania, spoke on behalf of Italian arms makers who were seeking a bigger share of Pentagon contracts.

Taxpayers paid for Mr. Weldon's stay. He received a $1,153 daily expense allowance from the federal government and flew over on a military jet.

For Mr. Weldon, the conference was a victory lap. After several years of promoting Italian military contractors, the Italians had scored some big victories at the Pentagon. But Mr. Weldon's efforts were equally beneficial for his district, his family, his friends and his campaign coffers.

[...]

A Finmeccanica subsidiary, together with Lockheed Martin, upset an American competitor to land the $1.7 billion contract to build the next Marine One presidential helicopter. Other subsidiaries are now making headway in other Pentagon contests.

Mr. Weldon's relationship with the Italians has been mutually beneficial. His daughter Kim, 29, a former social worker, was hired by AgustaWestland, the Finmeccanica subsidiary that won the Marine One contract, shortly after her father's speech in Portofino. Kim Weldon's work is to set up booths at trade shows and perform public relations.

AgustaWestland said the timing was coincidental. Ms. Weldon, through a company spokesman, declined to comment.

More than 10 Americans at Finmeccanica subsidiaries in the United States, along with their spouses, were among the biggest contributors to Mr. Weldon's campaign in 2006. Their combined donations of $20,400 edged out donations from American giants like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

A Finmeccanica subsidiary, Oto Melara, whose 76 Super Rapid gun Mr. Weldon has championed, last year hired his close friend Cecelia Grimes, a former real estate agent, and paid her $60,000 as a federal lobbyist. Ms. Grimes has no previous Washington lobbying experience and no Washington office.

She was put in touch with Oto Melara by Mr. Weldon's chief of staff, Russ Caso. But, Ms. Grimes said in an interview, her employment was not because of Mr. Weldon.

Weldon is a real disgrace to both his district and his country. Yet he is far from alone among his party in cashing in on his influence. As I noted in the previous post, the list of Republican scandals involving members of Congress or high-ranking administration officials misusing the power vested in them by the American people rivals any other period in American history. In fact, it nearly rivals all other periods in American history.

Luckily, the Democrats have fielded a very strong candidate going up against Weldon in Admiral Sestak, who, polling (.pdf) indicates, was leading Weldon even before the FBI raided the houses of his daughter and close friend. This new report from The Times isn't going to help out Weldon's case and he appears to be on track for a defeat in ignominy.