With the latest leg of the John McCain/J.D. Hayworth saga focusing on which of the two is more of a lobbyist, it seems only fitting that one of the most scandalous lobbyists in history just got released from prison.
Jack Abramoff, the disgraced Washington D.C. lobbyist who many credit with Hayworth's failed re-election bid when he was still a member of Congress in 2006, was released from the minimum-security federal prison in Maryland that he's called home since 2006, prison officials confirm today.
Abramoff will now report to a halfway house in the "mid-Atlantic area," where he'll stay until his December 4, release date.
Hayworth's ties to Abramoff and his Indian lobbying scandal turned off the public to Hayworth, allowing Harry Mitchell to take his seat in the 2006 election.
Hayworth was never charged with a crime in regard to his relationship with Abramoff, but the idea of possible charges forced Hayworth to rack up some pretty hefty legal bills defending himself.
McCain has his own history with Abramoff, only his didn't get him booted from office.
While in prison, Abramoff helped write a book called The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Jack Abramoff in which Abramoff argues that McCain made him the fall guy for the scandals, which brought down several politicians -- including Hayworth -- and landed him in prison.
As for Arizona's GOP Senate primary, we've got a feeling Abramoff's is one endorsement Hayworth and McCain won't be fighting over.
