Representative Katherine Harris, who as Florida Secretary of State fudged enough records to slip George W. Bush into the White House, is planning a bid for the US Senate this year. Standing in her way is popular former astronaut and current Senator Bill Nelson, so Harris will have to raise substantial amounts of money for a campaign. As a result, the Florida Republican has been forced to take money from some extremely shady sources. Adam C. Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the story:

While raising money in New York on Dec. 12, she received 10 $2,000 checks from people related to or connected to a New York rabbi and campaign fundraiser dubbed "the Brooklyn Bundler" who was indicted on charges of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal money intended for disabled children.

The donors came mostly from Brooklyn, N.Y., but also from executives of an Iowa slaughterhouse that was at the time facing allegations of inhumane treatment of animals.

PoliticalMoneyLine, a nonpartisan campaign finance information service, on Wednesday noted the bundled contributions to Harris and how they follow the fundraising practice used for years by Rabbi Milton Balkany. His ability to deliver campaign checks to politicians years ago earned him the nickname the Brooklyn Bundler.

Balkany also has emerged as a controversial political player. Last year federal prosecutors opted to defer prosecution of Balkany for allegedly misappropriating $700,000 in federal grant money, after he agreed to pay back the money and accepted travel restrictions. The politically connected rabbi and private school leader also was implicated, but not charged, in a case involving bribery of federal prison officials to improve the living conditions of certain prisoners, according to the New York Daily News.

Anyone who would take money from a man indicted for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from disabled children does not deserve to serve in the halls of Congress. Katherine Harris should be ashamed. Even further, she should be run out of office (a real possibility considering she only got 55% of her district's vote after spending $3.4 million).