Ethics Issues for Barack?

The LA Times ran a story on Sunday about Barack pushing for a grant on behalf of client who had been paying him $8,000 a month as a retainer when he was a broke state senator who had just lost a bid for Congress.

A few months after receiving his final payment from EKI, Obama sent a request on state Senate letterhead urging Illinois officials to provide a $50,000 tourism promotion grant to another Blackwell company, Killerspin.

But it gets worse:

The day after Obama wrote his letter urging the awarding of the state funds, Obama's U.S. Senate campaign received a $1,000 donation from Blackwell.

Obama's presidential campaign rejects any suggestion that there was a connection between the legal work, the campaign contribution and the help with the grant.

Of course.

Hope, it seems, is expensive.