If you think you've been seeing an awful lot of stories lately about Bush Administration appointees being investigated, prosecuted, or jailed...well, you're right.  Associated Press has released a list of Bush appointees who have left office in disgrace and/or are under investigation.

Below I've listed just the names and positions of the Fishy Fifteen.  Take a look at the article for complete descriptions of each appointee's personal scandal.  Some of them you've definitely heard of - others might come as new information.

• Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to VP Dick Cheney
  
• Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
  
• Paul Wolfowitz, current president of the World Bank and former deputy Defense Secretary
  
• J. Steven Griles, former deputy Interior Secretary (Abramoff alert!)
  
• David Safavian, former OMB administrator
  
• Roger Stillwell, former Interior Department official who worked on Marianas Islands issues (Abramoff alert!)
  
• Sue Ellen Wooldridge, former Justice Department prosecutor
  
• Matteo Fontana, Department of Education official
  
• Claude Allen, former domestic policy adviser to the President
  
• Philip Cooney, former chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality
  
• Darleen Druyun, former Air Force procurement officer
  
• Eric Keroack, Deputy Assistant Secretary at HHS
  
• Lurita Doan, General Services Administration head
  
• Robert Cobb, NASA Inspector General
  
• Julie MacDonald, Fish and Wildlife Service head

After years of multimillion-dollar deals and living the gilded life of a well-connected Washington lobbyist, Jack Abramoff's next job will pay far less: 12 cents an hour.

The Associated Press reports that the former lobbyist at the center of an influence-peddling scandal in Washington entered a minimum-security prison in Cumberland, Md., this morning.

Abramoff arrived at the prison about 6:30 a.m. today. He's expected to serve nearly six years after being convicted in Florida earlier this year on charges stemming from a fraudulent, multimillion dollar deal to buy casino ships.

He's awaiting sentencing in Washington for corrupting government officials and their staff members. The charges arose from years of work on Capitol Hill in which Abramoff gave out tickets to sporting events, meals and trips. He's also under investigation for bilking Indian tribes he represented out of  $82 million.

Tuesday, June 27th, is the long-awaited National Clean Money Day - an opportunity to reflect on the frequently malevolent role that money and special interests play in our hijacked political system.  To celebrate, a coalition of groups, including Common Cause, will host hundreds of house parties across the United States.  Parties will feature a screening of the new film "The Big Buy: Tom Delay's Stolen Congress," a documentary that investigates corporate power, dirty money, and corruption during the tenure of former House Majority Leader Tom Delay.  Delay's close political ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff are also explored by this film.

After the screening, the house parties will be linked by a conference call with Common Cause President Chellie Pingree, radio commentator and public speaker Jim Hightower, film director Robert Greenwald, and other reform leaders.  The conference call will present a plan to curtail the prevalence of dirty money and corruption through Clean Money reforms at the federal level.

Go here to register for a party in your area.  House parties are great way to discuss and find solutions to pressing political issues with similarly engaged members of your community.  Please consider attending a party on Tuesday, and afterwards use the Comments section to let us know how your party went.

Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) can't be feeling very safe right now.  We told you about the conviction of David Safavian on obstruction charges.  What was lost in some of the hubbub about the conviction was that a star witness for the prosecution was Neil Volz, who left his position as Chief of Staff for Ney to become a lobbyist at Abramoff's firm.  

The Columbus Dispatch has a good story on the legal implications of Volz's testimony for Ney.  It seems that Volz provided much testimony on the 2002 golf trip to Scotland that Ney and Safavian took with Abramoff, and furthermore, the jury believed him and convicted Safavian.

The first trial in the whole Abramoff scandal is nearing its end, with both the prosecution and the defense making closing arguments on Monday.  The prosecution reiterated its contention that David Safavian lied about and covered up his association with Jack Abramoff:

The Safavian trial is just the beginning of the legal portion of the Abramoff scandal, but it surely won't be the last.  After the jury verdict in this case, much more justice remains to be handed down.

As Safavian's legal case progresses, many papers have been covering the story; today's Washington Post reports: