Tainted Duncan aide's picture pulled from Montgomery website

A photograph of a Doug Duncan aide and political activist tainted by the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal has been removed from the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee website.

Jerry Pasternak, a county employee on leave to work on Duncan's campaign to become governor of Maryland, reportedly accepted Abramoff's offer in 1998 to raise money for Duncan's county executive campaign.

According to the Washington Post, Pasternak used his influence as a Duncan aide on the county payroll to help turn over public school property to Abramoff's school - over the objections of the community and the school superintendent - at steeply discounted prices.

A photo of Duncan with Pasternak appeared on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee website at this URL: http://mcdcc.org/news/newsletter/dec_files/image031.jpg, but the image has been taken down and the link no longer exists. No reason is given for the omission.