Imagine that the Republican National Committee, Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee were found to have received millions of dollars in contributions from convicted influence peddler Jack Abramoff and three of his closest cronies, each of whom was headed for jail onfelony convictions for fraud, racketeering and obstructing justice as part of a kickback scheme that stretched back more than two decades.

The clamor would be justifiably deafening among Democratic politicos and their friends in the mainstream media for the GOP committees to either return that dirty money or give it to charity. Just get rid of it.