To hear people talk about it, one would think widespread corruption in government is a new thing. It isn’t. It goes with the territory, in fact; modern Washington is built on what amounts to legalized corruption. But a few things remain illegal, and the recent stories of corruption which have filled the headlines might have something to do with the Federal Bureau of Investigation placing a higher priority on public corruption cases in the last few years.

There’s the Jack Abramoff lobbying case, in which he paid off lots of people for favors, and apparently did it the wrong way. Time magazine called him The Man Who Bought Washington, which seems to be exactly what he did. But I don’t remember if he ever did manage to get those Indian casinos built.

There’s Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who was paid off for lots of favors, and accepted the money the wrong way. One of the strangest things just now coming out of his case is the Department of Homeland Security paying for limousines in which his prostitutes were allegedly shuttled around D.C. A few heads at DHS will probably roll because of it.

One of the next names you’ll see is William Jefferson, who apparently did both. You’ll recall him as the New Orleans Congressman who, when federal agents raided his home last year, found $90,000 in cash in his freezer.

As it turns out, after 9/11, the FBI rearranged all its priorities from the top down. At the top of the list, of course, was counterterrorism, but very near the top was public corruption. FBI director Robert Mueller III told the New York Times: “Having prosecuted public corruption cases, you come to realize first of all that public corruption tears the fabric of a democratic society. You lose faith in public officials, it leads to cynicism, it leads to distrust in government.”

You can say that again.

“Having prosecuted public corruption cases, you come to realize first of all that public corruption tears the fabric of a democratic society. You lose faith in public officials, it leads to cynicism, it leads to distrust in government.”

Bureau officials believe that the investment in corruption cases is easily worth the cost. In 2004 and 2005, more than 1,060 government employees were convicted of corrupt activities, including 177 federal officials, 158 state officials, 360 local officials and 365 police officers, according to F.B.I. statistics. The number of convictions rose 27 percent from 2004 to 2005. — New York Times

The FBI has even set up a new web site where people can leave tips if they’re aware of corrupt government officials. But to leave a tip anonymously, you still have to call it in to your nearest field office. Ah, bureaucracy at work.