"Nager was a frequent e-mailer to Abramoff."

Some of you movie goers might have taken in Casino Jack this weekend, with Kevin Spacey playing disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Though his story wasn't portrayed in the movie about this gem of a human being, it's worth noting that USGA Vice President Glen Nager ambitiously solicited Abramoff's help in trying to secure a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit as described in this Jason McLure story from Legal Times.

The e-mails indicate that Abramoff lobbied White House political adviser Karl Rove on Nager's behalf and that Nager repeatedly sought Abramoff's advice on strategy. The messages became public this fall, when the House Government Reform Committee released a report on Abramoff and his associates, documenting nearly 500 contacts with the White House on a variety of matters. The report was based largely on thousands of pages of e-mail correspondence by Abramoff and his colleagues, turned over to the committee by Greenberg Traurig.

"Nager was a frequent e-mailer to Abramoff," notes the report. "His e-mail was sometimes lengthy."To be sure, the messages provide no evidence of any illegal or unethical activity by Nager. But the exchanges offer a rare glimpse into one man's aggressive effort to garner a top federal judgeship. They also raise questions about what — if anything — Abramoff expected in return for helping Nager. Nager declined to comment for this article, as did Abramoff's lawyer, Abbe Lowell.