Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James (D), who left office in 2006, tells the Bergen Record that “political life after prison is not out of the question.”

In fact, he is “so confident he’ll eventually reverse his 2008 fraud conviction he keeps a campaign fund that currently has $725,000 in it.”

Said James: “It should be remembered that former Mayor Marion Barry of Washington returned home to win reelection and is still serving on the D.C. City Council.”

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Bloomberg TV that the Obama government is “proving to be” the “most corrupt in history.”

Said Issa: “We are busy in Washington with a corrupt government, with a government that I said perhaps because of the money, the amount of TARP and stimulus funds, was going to be the most corrupt government history and it is proving to be just exactly that. This money going though the hands of political leaders is corrupting the process, whether it is Solyndra, GSA, or a number of other scandals.”

Nothing has been heard from former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reported to prison nearly six weeks ago, but Fox Chicago News reports that Blagojevich “is now washing pots and pans, and could soon be teaching Shakespeare and Greek mythology to other inmates.”

Also interesting: “He’s got three cellmates, and so far,
has no problems with any of them.”

Said his lawyer: “All things considered, he looked good, he’s still got a headful of hair, it’s gone from black to brown, not gray, as everyone predicted. It’s gone from black to brown but he looks good.”

Florida prosecutors did not end up charging Rep. David Rivera (R-FL), but their 18-month investigation revealed that the former state lawmaker practically lived off campaign contributions for nearly a decade, the Miami Herald reports.

He was “paying mortgages on four different properties and jetting around the globe though he never held a full-time job or earned more than $28,000 a year.”

“So how did he do it? Newly released FDLE investigative reports show that Rivera used back-dated campaign records, a web of bank accounts and undisclosed loans, a batch of credit cards and misleading disclosure forms to disguise his finances from the public eye during much of his eight-year tenure in the Florida Legislature.”

John Harris, a former chief of staff for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich who provided crucial assistance to investigators, was sentenced “to a mere 10 days in prison by a federal judge who reserved his harshest comments instead for the former governor, suggesting he was an impossible boss and pointing out some had even questioned his mental stability,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

“The sentence for John Harris was in stunning contrast to the crushing 14-year term Blagojevich began serving earlier this month in a federal prison in Colorado. In fact, Blagojevich has already spent more time in prison than Harris will.”

Imprisoned former Illinois Rod Blagojevich’s “famously thick, dark hair is dyed and will turn gray within months as he serves his 14-year sentence in a Colorado prison, where dyes are strictly banned,” his longtime barber told the Associated Press.

An investigation into the integrity of state governments singles out the most corrupt states: Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and the winner, Georgia,

Former Missouri state Sen. Jeff Smith (D), who spent a year in federal prison as a result of campaign-finance violations, offers advice in the Chicago Tribune for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) who enters prison today.

A few examples:

“Embrace your background, but don’t try to be a politician. The prison guards and administration will probably resent your presence, as it will mean added scrutiny on prison operations. Your charm will not work on them, so don’t try it. Instead, be as deferential as possible and try to blend in.”

“Don’t snitch, under any circumstances. The only people in prison who have it harder than child molesters are snitches. You need to learn how to see things (weapons, illegal drugs, people making hooch, pornography, etc) without seeing them; that is, learn to look away before anyone has seen you see the contraband.”

“Don’t eat the Snickers. You’ll go through orientation. You will be shown a mandatory sexual assault prevention video featuring a guy warning you not to eat the Snickers bar that may be waiting for you on your bed in your cell. (The actor ate the one left under his pillow, unwittingly signaling the predator who left it for him that he was ready and willing.) All the guys watching the video will laugh. But take the video’s message to heart: Don’t accept sweets from anyone.”

Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) “has chosen prime time to deliver his final goodbye before heading to prison,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

A spokesman says Blagojevich will begin speaking at precisely 5:02 p.m. from outside his home — which would enable evening news programs to lead with his speech.

Tony Rezko, a former top fundraiser for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), was sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison but will get credit for time he has already served, the AP reports.

“Rezko was convicted in 2008 of fraud, money laundering and plotting to squeeze $7 million in kickbacks from firms that wanted to do business with the state during Blagojevich’s tenure. The governor was arrested six months later and convicted this year on charges that included trying to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat. He is set to be sentenced next month and is expected to get about 10 years.”

Notorious ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff reveals the tricks of the trade in an interview with 60 Minutes,
in which he discusses how he was able to exert so much influence over
lawmakers and the title of the book he would like to write, “The Idiot’s
Guide to Buying a Congressman.”

On how to seal the deal:
“When we would become friendly with an office and they were important to
us, and the chief of staff was a competent person, I would say or my
staff would say to him or her at some point, ‘You know, when you’re done
working on the Hill, we’d very much like you to consider coming to work
for us.’ Now the moment I said that to them or any of our staff said
that to ’em, that was it. We owned them.”

On whether subsequent reforms have helped: “The system hasn’t been cleaned up at all.”