Renzi Shuts Down His Leadership PAC

(The Politico)  Indicted Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) has quietly closed his leadership PAC, the Patriot Fund, according to a new disclosure report with the Federal Election Commission.

Renzi, who faces 35 federal corruption chargesrelated to his involvement in a Arizona land transfer that benefitted him personally, as well as insurance fraud, closed down the Patriot Fund in a filing with the FEC today.

The PAC was never a huge success, raising slightly more than $23,000 last cycle, with a big chunk of that money coming from Native American tribes with gambling operations.

The Arizona Republican, who has already announced that he will not run again this November, is not raising any money for his re-election committee, which carries a debt of more than $106,000 from the law firm of Patton Boggs. "Rick Renzi for Congress" also owes him personally more than $350,000 from loans he gave to the committee back in 2002, although there is no chance that this debt will ever be paid off.

Renzi's trial is scheduled to begin on April 29, but his defense team has been pushing for a delay in the case, arguing that Renzi needs more time to respond to the government charges. Renzi is also expected to raise "Speech or Debate Clause" issues in his case. The Speech or Debate Clause prevents lawmakers and aides from legal action over legislative activities, and Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), who faces federal bribery and racketeering charges, has used the congressional privilege to delay his own corruption trial.