Whatever the final consequences of IG-Gate -- and I'd say
odds are pretty good of at least one administration
official going to federal prison before all is said and done
-- the investigation could have
serious near-term repercussions for the Democrats:
Describing the probe into the dismissal of the AmeriCorps
inspector general, one Capitol Hill source on Thursday compared
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley's demand for facts in the case to a row
of dominoes ready to tip over. . . .
In background discussions Thursday, several GOP strategists spoke
of the contrast between Democrats' effort to impose new
government "reforms" while, at the same time, the Obama
administration appears to be muzzling inspectors generals, who
are tasked with providing independent oversight to prevent waste,
fraud and abuse in federal agencies. . . .
Grassley's team on the IG probe is led by Charles Murphy, a
veteran Capitol Hill investigator. Both Grassley and Murphy were
unavailable for comment Thursday, but sources with knowledge of
the investigation expressed confidence in the
meticulous research of Murphy's team. . . .
Every political reporter in Washington is sniffing
around this story now, and I just got off the phone with
Matthew Vadum, who's catching the Acela train to New York for
a 5 p.m. live appearance on "The Glenn Beck Show."