Local corruption

It's interesting that the kinds of things that happen in DC all the time (such as the passing of a bill specifically to benefit specific developers at the expense of other property owners not equally well connected) don't catch the eye of prosecutors, but it does in Maryland, to wit, the most recent investigation we are hearing about, of Sen. Nathaniel Exum of Prince George's County. When I first read about how the Maryland State Government reinstated the license of a local company to conduct car inspections, after they had lost their license due to fraud, because the local Senator held up the approval of an appointment to the Maryland State Police it seemed very fishy to me... even though it's not much different than the kinds of things that happen in DC every month.

(There are investigations going on of Senator Ulysses Currie, who was on retainer to Shoppers Food Warehouse, which he didn't disclose when he pursued matters in the interest of SFW, and Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore, who appears to have received a great deal of financial benefits from a well-connected developer.)

WRT Sen. Exum and/or Prince George's County see from this week, "Sen. Exum Is Subject Of Probe By FBI," from March, "Exum says little but wields substantial power," and this broader piece, "Pr. George's Audit Cites Lax Land-Deal Protocol," all from the Washington Post.