Update on "Ohio Republicans for Freddie Mac?"

Previously on WMD, we discussed a ridiculous story about how Freddie Mac employed a "Republican" lobbyist firm to target Republican senators to kill a bill that would have increased regulation on their client. Ohio's Senators were targeted; but, as the Columbus Dispatch points out, Freddie didn't get their money's worth:

The fact that Voinovich was cited in the AP story as one of eight of the 17 targeted senators who still signed a letter supporting the Fannie/Freddie regulation legislation is now being touted by Voinovich spokesman Chris Paulitz as evidence of the Ohio Republican's independence.
...
Voinovich was “aware of orchestrated opposition…He did not know who was behind it,” Paulitz, Voinovich said. But Voinovich felt “strongly that…(Fannie and Freddie) needed to be reined in and reformed.”

Ah...here we see Voinovich's often-cited "independence" streak. Remember the "independence" streak the next time he's trying to win you over with comments on who is and who is not a socialist... Just saying...

As for Ohio's "other" Senator Mike DeWine...

Former Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, who lost his reelection bid in 2006, also was targeted by the stealth lobbying campaign, run by the GOP firm DCI that was being secretly paid by Freddie Mac. DeWine did not sign the letter supporting the legislation, according to AP.

DeWine confirmed today he had not signed the letter. He said he doesn’t recall the precise circumstances, but noted that he was not on the banking committee that had jurisdiction over the bill and rarely signed letters for or against bills outside the committees he served on or not dealing with issues with which he was closely involved.

“It would have been unusual for us to sign a letter like that,” DeWine said.

So...there you have it...