Feds looking at another 5th District campaign, ex-Guv. Rowland

Just a few weeks after House Speaker Chris Donovan’s congressional campaign was rocked by a federal probe, Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie today reported a federal criminal grand jury is looking at the work ex.-GOP Governor John Rowland performed for another 5th District contender, Lisa Wilson-Foley.

Here’s Rennie’s initial blog post from earlier Monday, with additional reporting from The Courant and The Torrington Register-Citizen.

Wilson-Foley and Rowland have been under fire since April when it was reported the latter provided unpaid campaign advice to Wilson-Foley while also earning $5,000 a month for six months as a consultant for her husband’s company, Apple Rehab.

Critics have alleged the arrangement was a way for Lisa Wilson-Foley to obtain Rowland’s paid political advice while circumventing campaign finance requirements.

Rowland served 10-months in prison for corruption charges related to his former office and now hosts an afternoon radio show on WTIC 1080 in Hartford.

Wilson-Foley is involved in a four-way 5th District primary. 

One of her Republican opponents – Mark Greenberg – Monday confirmed to the press he was contacted as part of the grand jury probe.

This afternoon Greenberg spokesman Chris Cooper, former spokesman for Rowland’s successor, Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell, issued the following statement in response to additional inquiries from reporters:  

“The Greenberg campaign confirmed that Mark was contacted as a ‘factual witness’ and that he provided the requested information. The campaign also confirmed that Mark Greenberg is not in any way a target of the investigation.”
Brian Lockhart