When we last left the pathetic story of Democrat Phillip Puckett, he was preparing to resign in order to toss the Virginia Senate majority back to the Republicans, which he did. This meant Virginia's poor people would not benefit from the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion as part of the budget negotiation, since Republicans vowed to block it out of general meanness.

The Feds are interested in what exactly took place there.

Federal investigators are probing the circumstances surrounding former state senator Phillip P. Puckett’s resignation last week, which gave Republicans control of the Virginia Senate and resulted from a deal with Republican lawmakers involving a job for Puckett and a judgeship for his daughter.

Two people with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that federal investigators have interviewed officials and sought documentation related to Puckett’s resignation and the job offers.The investigation was first reported Wednesday by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Puckett, a Democrat from rural Russell County, caused a firestorm when he resigned and prepared to take a job at the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, which state delegate and commission chairman Terry G. Kilgore (R-Scott) confirmed at the time had been arranged for the senator. Puckett said at the time that no quid pro quo was involved.

Puckett’s departure from the Senate quickly led to the end of a budget showdown over whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act; last Thursday, lawmakers passed a budget without Medicaid expansion.Gov. Terry McAuliffe must act on the bill by Sunday.

Throw the book at them. Hard. Every last self-serving, corrupt one of them, whether Democrat or Republican. Clean house.