Westar's Papers Outline Donations to GOP

When a utility executive questioned why he was contributing to Republican congressional candidates he had never heard of, the answer came back loud and clear: The donations were requested by GOP leaders who were helping the company win an exemption potentially worth billions of dollars.

Financially strapped Westar Energy was seeking "a seat at the table" of a House-Senate conference committee on the Bush administration's energy plan last year, according to internal company records spelling out the planned campaign donations.

Key Republicans, including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, denied on Thursday there was any connection between the exemption and donations which amounted to tens of thousands of dollars from the Topeka, Kan., conglomerate and its executives.

Documents are available here and here.

Extortion by any other name would be punished.

Update 6/7: Joe Conason has all you need to know about this, so far.