THE GRIP GRAND JURY

The federal investigation into the Beverly Hills financial firm that won a $1.5 million contract with the state after contributing to political action committees associated with Gov. Bill Richardson is starting to get some national attention.

Here's the Bloomberg story, which on Monday broke the news that a federal grands jury is hearing evidence. The Washington Post followed suit. Here's my own story, which admittedly doesn't break any new ground.

The conservative National Review blog comes out and asks the question, "Could President-elect Obama soon have to look for a new commerce secretary?"

My feeling, at this time is that Richardson will be confirmed, but the Republicans will make him sweat at the hearings. Between this and the Wen Ho Lee issue, Richardson might pine during the hearings for the good old days when his biggest worry was spatting with the state Senate.