We considered calling this post "And then they came for Jew, and we said nothing," but decided that was in poor taste.

So what's been up with our favorite beleaguered conservative Sunset Supervisor? Well, as everyone knows by now, right as Ross Mirkarimi's Friday art party was starting, Ed Jew's City Hall office was raided by the FBI, based on charges that he'd accepted $40,000 in $100 bills from businessmen seeking to get permits from City Hall.

Supervisor Jew told the press that the businessmen came by, offered him the money, refused a receipt, and he went ahead and took it and put it in a safe, even though he thought the whole thing was weird. Jew also said thought it was a fight between two groups of merchants that he got in the middle of, and that he'd simply referred the businessmen to a political consultant. "I don't know if it violates the law," Jew said.

The next day, we learned that the feds had also searched Jew's Chinatown flower shop, his house in the Sunset, and a house in Burlingame where his family lives. Wait, why does a Supervisor for District 4 live in Burlingame? Neighbors report that no one's lived in Jew's stated SF residence since a burglary and shooting three years ago, but now they see Jew about once a month. Jew's spokesperson says Jew lives there, but that he simply doesn't get home until late at night. The spokesperson wouldn't answer questions about why Jew's wife and child live in Burlingame. (Update! Water service didn't start at the house until 2 months after he was supposed to be there for SF election residency requirements.)

Further complicating things, Jew is also now saying that he did accept the $40K on behalf of his consultant friend, and told the consultant to donate $20K of it to fix up a park on 28th and Lawton. However, Parks and Rec have no record of any such transaction. The consultant is not answering reporters' inquiries about anything.

After all this, Jew has hired a criminal defense lawyer, who's told him to zip it.

Picture off Flickr by dolanh.