Ryun's friend going down?

In Tom Delay's interview announcing his retirement, he suggests that three staff members are likely to be found guilty. Two staff members have already pled. Number three would be Ed Buckham, implicated by the most recent guilty plea.

And Ed Buckham is pretty cozy with Jim Ryun. A source in Ryun's office tells TfK that Buckham's defunct firm lobbied Ryun, and Ryun's press office wouldn't comment on what issues they discussed. Data from the Center for Responsive Politics shows that the firm's finances took off shortly after they gave Ryun a sweet deal on a new house. What would look like coincidence under other circumstances takes on a different hue when we know a criminal conspiracy was at work on the Buckham side.

The silence of Ryun's staff only deepens the mystery.

I'll be following up on some of his lobbying contacts to try to answer the unanswered questions about Buckham's effects on Ryun's actions.