Former Aide Charged In Abramoff Probe

The Justice Department has charged a one-time chief of staff to retired Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) with conspiracy to defraud the House of Representatives as part of its ongoing probe of jailed former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. 

According to a copy of the charging document, John Albaugh is accused of accepting gifts in exhange for official favors.

Istook, who chaired the Aappropriations subcommittee that doles out transportation money, accepted thousands in campaign donations from Abramoff over the years, but he eventually donated the money to charity before his retirement in 2006 after an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid.