THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

In their continuing, excellent series about the Ohio Republican money laundry, the Blade shows how Tom Noe made illegal contributions to Our Dear Embattled Leader.

“So [Mr. Noe] said, you know, ‘Why don’t you do what you can, and then I’ll get credit for whatever you raise,’” said Mr. Talbott, who was also convicted yesterday on a charge he laundered money from Mr. Noe into the campaigns of three Ohio Supreme Court candidates.

Mr. Talbott said he collected about $6,000 from lobbying clients for the Bush fund-raiser. But Mr. Noe wanted Mr. Talbott to raise $20,000 — a table of 10 people each contributing $2,000 — and he was about $14,000 short. Mr. Talbott said Mr. Noe told him: “I’ll write you a check, and you find three others that you write checks to .…’ So that’s how we came to the $14,000.”

Mr. Talbott then wrote two checks: $3,900 and $3,500 to people whose names are blacked out from the investigative report and were members of the “Noe Supper Club” — a group of government insiders Mr. Noe treated to lavish dinners — and a $3,750 check on Nov. 5, 2003, to Mr. Moormann.

“These individuals were aware the money came from Tom,” Mr. Talbott said.

Mr. Talbott kept the remaining $3,150 from Mr. Noe, using it to defray a $4,000 contribution that he and his wife, Susan, made to President Bush’s campaign, the investigative report says.

ODEL has said he would never keep dirty money but has yet to explain this.

The President has returned $4,000 in contributions made directly from Mr. Noe and his wife, Bernadette, but he has resisted returning more than $100,000 that the coin dealer raised for Mr. Bush’s campaign.

To those not familiar with CoinGate, this will put it in a nustshell.

Last week, Mr. Noe was indicted on a 53-count felony indictment for stealing millions of dollars from the rare-coin fund he managed for the state, and in October, he was indicted separately for allegedly laundering $45,400 into President Bush’s re-election campaign. Mr. Noe has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mr. Talbott told investigators that Mr. Noe asked for help in recruiting guests to an Oct. 30, 2003, fund-raiser in Columbus because he wanted to “achieve Pioneer status” by raising at least $100,000 for President Bush’s re-election.

So the appearence is that Tom Noe stole public monies from the State of Ohio to make campaign contributions to Our Dear Embattled Leader and other Republicans. This began under then-Gov. Voinovich and continued through the two terms of Gov. Bob Taft. And it has resulted in the White House once again having to deny any knowledge of a Bush Pioneer.

A White House official yesterday could not confirm whether Mr. Noe had attended a Christmas party but said Mr. Noe “probably was invited at some point.”

“I just don’t have that information. I’m not saying he did; I’m not saying he didn’t,” the official said.