You just can't make this stuff up--Bush's former top domestic policy adviser arrested.

Right after I published the previous post, I decided to check some news before finally going to bed. I went first to Talking Points Memo, and saw this post. After picking my jaw off the floor, I read some newspaper articles about the arrest of Bush's former domestic policy adviser, Claude Allen.

Here's the story of the charges and Allen's political career in the Bush administration as described by the Talking Points Memo post and articles from the AP, CNN, and the Washington Post. According to the statement issued by the local police, Allen was ripping off two department stores by first buying items, taking them to his car, then going back in the stores with the receipts, taking identical items off the shelves, going to the returns department, presenting the receipts, and getting cash refunds. The Washington Post provided some of the details of the allegations:

He came to the attention of Montgomery police after a manager at a Gaithersburg Target store called the department about an incident Jan. 2. Montgomery detectives were able to document other alleged crimes from Oct. 29 to Jan. 2, some of which were captured on camera, (police spokesman Lt. Eric) Burnett said.

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Burnett said Montgomery police contacted the White House to verify Allen's identity after the Jan. 2 incident. He said that was the extent of their communication with the administration. He said he could not immediately determine the date of that contact, or whether police informed the White House that Allen had been charged Jan. 2 and was still under investigation.

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This is what police said happened Jan. 2:

Employees at the Target store at 25 Grand Corner Ave. in Gaithersburg spotted Allen putting merchandise in a shopping bag. He then walked over to the guest services desk, produced a receipt and received a refund for the items.

After getting the refund, Allen left the store without paying for additional merchandise in his shopping cart.

A store employee stopped him, and police were called to the store. Officers issued a citation charging him with theft under $500 but did not arrest him. Court records show prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor charge, which is not unusual in cases in which detectives are considering filing more serious charges.

Detectives from the county's retail crime unit soon learned that the incident was not an isolated event, Burnett said.

He said investigators were able to document 25 fraudulent refunds for items including a Bose home theater system, stereo equipment, clothes, a photo printer and items worth as little as $2.50.

What makes this story interesting, however, is Allen's history in the Bush administration. Because of his views on social issues (for example, Allen was a major advocate of abstinence-only AIDS prevention programs), Allen "had long been a darling among the conservative right" (according to CNN). In 2003, Allen was the second-highest ranking official at the Department of Human Services, and then Bush nominated him to be a judge on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. That nomination was successfully blocked by Democrats (thank goodness). At the start of Bush's second term, Allen was chosen to be Bush's top adviser on domestic policy. The Washington Post reported that

As Bush's top domestic policy aide, he frequently briefed the president and traveled with him on Air Force One, and he sat in first lady Laura Bush's box during the president's State of the Union address Jan. 31. Two days, later he traveled with the president to Minnesota, briefing reporters about Bush's education and alternative energy proposals.

Allen resigned on February 9, 2006, and the only explanation given was that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Yeah, right. I'm sure the White House being notified in January that Allen was under investigation for criminal activity had nothing to do with his resignation.

How in the world did this guy advance so far in Bush's administration?

It is also worth noting that Allen is not alone in his status as a former high-ranking Bush administration official under criminal investigation. In September of 2005, David Safavian was the chief of staff of the General Services Administration, which made him the official in charge of procurement and establishing purchasing policy for entire federal government. He resigned on the day a criminal indictment was signed against him, alleging that he repeatedly made false statements to investigators in the Abramoff case. Three days later he was arrested. Moreover, federal prosecutors in Miami one month earlier had issued an indictment on Safavian for wire fraud and conspiracy. For more details, see this Washington Post article. And let us not forget about Scooter Libby.