CHRIS DODD UPDATE: Hartford Courant: Dodd’s ‘Cottage:’ A Cozy Purchase:

The saga of Dodd’s lucrative Irish odyssey reveals that his two 2003 sweetheart loans from subprime mortgage titan Countrywide Financial were not the first time he enjoyed a financial advantage from a wealthy benefactor. The trail begins at one of New York’s most desirable addresses.

Read the whole thing, which shows Dodd in a rather shady light. Again. Note this bit:

When Downe agreed to pay $11 million to the SEC in 1994, he claimed he was virtually bankrupt. Six months later, he made $2,000 in contributions to Dodd, again listing his occupation as “private investor.” Must be a lot of loose change in the cushions at 25 Sutton Place, even in a “bankrupt” pauper’s grand apartment. . . .

In 2001, Dodd did the favor of a lifetime for his pal, Downe. The veteran senator circumvented the normal Department of Justice vetting process and got Downe a full pardon from President Bill Clinton on his last day in office. Dodd initiated the pardon request and included in his two-page letter to Clinton the tidbit that he speaks to Downe nearly every day.

Like I said, read the whole thing.