FBI, IRS Search Warrant Seeks Records From Cuyahoga County Democratic Party: Chairman Jimmy Dimora Under A Cloud

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- The search warrant that shut down Cuyahoga County's administration building while federal agents scooped up records for a political corruption investigation also touches upon Ohio's largest Democratic organization. There's a paragraph in the document that seeks access to the party's financial records:

"For the Cuyahoga County Democratic party or any campaign account for James "Jimmy" Dimora, the following:

"Records of all accounts and transactions at financial institutions, including account statements, resolutions, agreements, customer copies of certificates of deposit, check stubs or registers, canceled checks, deposit receipts and duplicate deposit tickets, withdrawal receipts and duplicate withdrawal slips, debit memos, credit memos, wire transfer records, certified check memos, official or cashier's check memos, safe deposit box keys and records, IRS forms 1099, 1098 and other tax statements."

The Plain Dealer has the complete search warrant available on the newspaper's web site, and it shows just what a fine tooth comb the Cleveland Dem chief is facing from the feds. Dimora is a Cuyahoga County Commissioner who also runs the county Democratic Party. He has long been described as a pol of the Mayor Daley (the first mayor Daley of Chicago) school.

Today's Greeting From Cuyahoga Dem Chief: Happy 2005!!!

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Here are the latest words of wisdom from the Chairman's Desk in Cuyahoga County: "Greetings to my Democratic Friends! 2005 will be a successful year for Democrats in Cuyahoga County. Although last year's race did not turn out the way we would have liked, we can be proud that Democrats united in a grassroots effort to turn out a strong Democratic vote. The margin of victory in Cuyahoga County was overwhelming -- but it wasn't enough to carry the rest of Ohio."

The full-text of Jimmy Dimora's letter is HERE , where it has been frozen in time as the most recent communication from the chief of Ohio's biggest and most important local Democratic organization. It is a bit moldy. Especially the part mourning the John Kerry loss and rallying the troops for 2005.

Has anything important happened between then and now? How about a mid-term election in 2006. How about the election of a Democratic governor after 16 years of GOP rule in Columbus. And how about that quick start of the '08 race for the White House

Maybe Dimora is so busy he just hasn't had time to pen another missive from the chairman's desk and post it on the party's Web site. Or maybe he just doesn't give a dang. Or maybe he loves 2005.