It’s okay. We’re still a family blog. The headline does not refer to sexual congress (even if the content of the post — about no-longer-Sir Allen Stanford, and his relationships with important people in Congress — does call for a nullus).

True love is so touching, especially in Congress:

Just hours after federal agents charged banker Allen Stanford with fleecing investors of $7 billion, the disgraced financier received a message from one of Congress’ most powerful members, Pete Sessions.

“I love you and believe in you,” said the e-mail sent on Feb. 17. “If you want my ear/voice — e-mail,” it said, signed “Pete.”

The message from the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee represents one of the many ties between members of Congress and the indicted banker that have caught the attention of federal agents.

The Justice Department is investigating millions of dollars Allen Stanford and his staff contributed to lawmakers over the past decade to determine if the banker received special favors from politicians while building his spectacular offshore bank in Antigua, McClatchy Newspapers has learned.

Agents are examining campaign dollars, as well as lavish Caribbean trips funded by Stanford for politicians and their spouses, feting them with lobster dinners and caviar.
[...]
Sessions, 54, a longtime House member from Dallas who met with Stanford during two trips to the Caribbean, did not respond to interview requests.

Supporters say the lawmaker, who received $44,375 from Stanford and his staff, was not assigned to any of the committees with oversight over Stanford’s bank and brokerages.

His press secretary, Emily Davis, said she was unable to comment on the e-mail sent at 11:31 a.m. on the day Stanford was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “I haven’t seen it, so I can’t verify its authenticity at this time,” she said.

The McClatchy story also underlines this aspect of Stanford’s campaign contributions:

The money Stanford gave Sessions and other lawmakers was stolen from his clients while he carried out what prosecutors now say was one of the nation’s largest Ponzi schemes.

Perhaps that will allow the court-appointed receiver who’s trying to recover hundreds of millions of dollars of Stanford assets for defrauded investors to clawback the campaign contributions?

Of course, under the circumstances, shouldn’t any sensible politician with a shred of conscience just voluntarily hand the money over to the receiver? That’s not what Pete Sessions did, though:

Nineteen lawmakers gave back a total of $87,800 to the court-appointed receiver as of August. Others, including Meeks, Sessions, Sandlin, Sweeney and Crane, said they turned some of the money over to charities.

And did what with the rest? Just keep it?