Blunt Rushes To Ellis' Defense

Rep. Roy Blunt (R-K Street) sure is eager to rush to the defense of Jim Ellis.  Ellis is the Blunt/DeLay staffer that has now been indicted multiple times in Texas. 

Ellis was initially indicted for money laundering in September of 2004.  He has recently been indicted, along with DeLay, for conspiracy, and yet again for money laundering.

According to the AP, Blunt's ROYB Fund, which Ellis was the director of when it started in 1999, has paid Ellis just shy of $100,000.  Perhaps Blunt has defended Ellis, for fear of what Ellis knows and might tell.

When Ellis was indicted in 2004, Blunt rushed onto CNN's Inside Politics on September 22nd, to defend Ellis and DeLay.  Initially speaking about the prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, he said:

My guess is, he doesn't have a case this time either.

But if he does, obviously, it didn't involve Tom DeLay himself, and I don't think any of these charges, as I've looked at them, are any charges that are reasonable by any standard that I know of in terms of how political fund-raising is done in the country today. {emphasis added}

Obviously, the situation as it relates to DeLay has now changed.  I wonder if Blunt still holds to this statement.  And Blunt clearly doesn't see anything wrong with the underlying tactics.  Blunt says this is just how fundraising is done.

Blunt has also been a major donor to Ellis' legal defense fund, having contributed $10,000 from his PAC.  Blunt's senior staff has also ponied up for the defense fund.  

Recently, Ellis turned to the same special interests that got him into trouble in the first place for his legal defense.  No doubt, Blunt was encouraging people to help.