O Brother, Where Art Thy Standards?

By Josh Tyrangiel

Roger Clinton has always borne a resemblance to Fredo Corleone, the hapless brother in The Godfather. Sources tell TIME that more than a year ago, after the FBI learned of Roger's attempts to influence the U.S. Parole Commission on behalf of heroin trafficker Rosario Gambino, the bureau wanted to run a sting on the President's half brother. The investigation petered out. Sources also say that J.T. Lundy, former head of Calumet Farms, which employed Roger following his release from prison in 1986, offered him stock in a Venezuelan coal deal in return for help with legal problems. (Lundy was convicted of bank fraud last year.) Records show that Roger deposited $100,000 in traveler's checks--some purchased in Venezuela. His lawyer says Roger never asked for a pardon for Lundy. Lundy's lawyer says his client had no coal interests to transfer. But a source says Lundy's friends did. None of this may be illegal, just ethically vague. Sound familiar?

--Reported by Viveca Novak and Michael Weisskopf/Washington

With reporting by VIVECA NOVAK AND MICHAEL WEISSKOPF/WASHINGTON