Jack Abramoff has unlikely second act as watchdog [View all]

[midnight]

The latest muckraker digging into the outsized influence of money in politics is well-versed in the muckiest corners of K Street: former Republican lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff.

Abramoff, who served three and a half years in prison for corruption of public officials, tax evasion and fraud, emerged last fall as an unlikely advocate for curbing the influence of special interests in Washington -- first in the form of a tell-all memoir and a subsequent media tour pressing for ethics reform.

And now, the latest manifestation of Abramoff's ethics push: his debut Friday on Republic Report, a newly launched blog dedicated to exposing corruption in politics.

The site has already posted stories about Congress, K Street and the Koch Brothers; Abramoff's contribution was mostly introductory, although he said he anticipates contributing analysis and breaking news in the future. The gig pairs the former lobbyists with a team of investigative reporters, the likes of which dogged Abramoff during his K Street scandals.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-jack-abramoff-money-in-politics-20120203,0,1866040.story