The NRCC Is Being Probed...

...and not in the good way.

This story bubbles up from a recent comment.

From The Politico:

Top House Republicans were told in recent days that a former employee of their campaign committee may have forged an official audit during the contentious 2006 election cycle and that they should brace for the possibility that an unfolding investigation could uncover financial improprieties stretching back several years, according to GOP sources briefed on the members-only discussions.

Oh, pooh.

The NRCC internal investigation centers on Christopher J. Ward, a former NRCC treasurer who worked at the committee until mid-August of last year, according to those briefed on the matter. From that time until late December, Ward was an outside contractor for the NRCC, according to Federal Election Commission records.

RealClearPolitics has more:

The NRCC would not comment on the investigation, though the source, who is outside the committee, characterized the fraud as severe.

Severe pooh.

So who is this Christopher J. Ward?

According to this post over at the dailykos, he was listed as the treasurer for a number of GOP PACs including:

Prosperity Helps Inspire Liberty PAC
Affiliate:Phil English (R-Pa)
PROSPERITY HELPS INSPIRE LIBERTY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PHILPAC)
Location: ALEXANDRIA VA, 22313
Industry: Leadership PACs; Republican leadership PAC
Treasurer: Christopher J. Ward FEC
Committee ID: C00375246

Phil English is the Representative to the Pennsylvania 3rd Congressional District.

Also turns out that Mr Ward had a connection to our friends, the Swiftboaters. From Raw Story:

While the Politico report noted that Ward had been serving the NRCC as a private contractor since last year, it failed to note that he was also at one time a partner with the Fairfax, Virginia-based Political Compliance Services, Inc., a firm that specializes in filing reports with the Federal Election Commission on behalf of political candidates and campaigns.

PCS, Inc., according to earlier reports, was retained by the Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth in the run-up to the 2004 presidential election.

Harper's has some more connections:

On January 27, Ward signed on as treasurer for the Senate Majority Committee, which is raising money for Senate Republicans at risk in this fall’s elections. Given the investigation of Ward for his role at the NRCC, the Committee might want to keep an eye on its treasury.

And which Senate republicans are running for Re-election? Here's a list. Not all of them are at risk, of course.

Jeff Sessions of Alabama
Saxby Chambliss of Georgia
Pat Roberts of Kansas
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
Susan Collins of Maine
Norm Coleman of Minnesota
Thad Cochran of Mississippi
Roger Wicker of Mississippi
John Sununu of New Hampshire
Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina
Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
Gordon Smith of Oregon
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Lamar Alexander of Tennessee
John Cornyn of Texas
John Barrasso of Wyoming

Should be interesting to see:

1. Whether there was any fraud at all.
2. If there was, was Ward a part of it.
3. If he was, how deeply he was involved.
4. And depending on how deeply he was involved, how much that taints all the other Republicans around him.
5. Even if wasn't wasn't involved, if there was fraud what extent it touched members of God's Own Party.

Granted, that's lotsa ifs - but it should be fun to watch anyway!