Foti: If I only had known it was illegal ...

Bonnie Ladwig said everyone was doing it long before she came to the Assembly, so she just kept right on doing it.

Today, Steve Foti said: "For several years, I have allowed certain of my staff to participate in partisan political activity without ensuring that taxpayer funds would not be utilized for their compensation. Had I then recognized the illegality of that practice, I could and should have prevented same."He didn't know that was illegal to have a staffer in his office, paid by the taxpayers, whose full-time job was to raise money for Republicans?

This sets the stage for the Scott Jensen defense: Getting more Republicans elected was part of my official duties.

Incredible.

And, just for the record, the Brian Burke and Chuck Chvala rationalizations weren't any better.