AMIR OMAR: THE SAUCY SCOFFLAW

Yesterday we told you about Republican Congressional candidate Amir Omar’s illegal barbecue sauce. Shocking stuff. Today comes news from his opponent’s camp that Omar has a checkered past:

This does not appear to be the first time that Mr. Omar has run afoul of the law. He was convicted in 1994 for theft in Brazos County, Texas, a crime for which he plead guilty and was sentenced to a monetary fine, 270 days in jail, and 80 hours of community service. Omar’s sentence was later probated. Omar’s criminal history combined with his legally questionable gifts-for-votes scheme and his lack of any voting record would seem to make him an easy target for the Democrats in the Fall.

All of which makes me wonder about how the DMN conducts background checks. You’ll remember that the paper endorsed Omar. It also endorsed Democratic candidate Tom Malin, a former male prostitute. In explaining the latter move, editorial page editor Keven Ann Willey said the paper does do background checks before it issues endorsements. So, um, WTF?

Update: I had a conversation with Amir on April 3. He sounded like a nice fellow. More importantly, though, he explained the deal in Brazos County. Given Google’s long memory he asked that I clear something up. Amir bounced a check in college. He kept his nose clean for a while, did a little community service, and received deferred adjudication. He was never convicted, never served time in jail.