Yesterday an odd press release from the National Republican Congressional Committee landed in my inbox.

To sum it up, the NRCC is going after Eric Massa for taking money from Congress Member Charlie Rangel, who's been brought up on charges by a House ethics committee. The press release faults Massa not returning "$74,000 in dirty campaign cash" he received from Rangel.

Massa should return all of his remaining campaign donations, not just Rangel's. But what's odd about the press release is the way it treats Massa. He halted his reelection bid early after he faced allegations about his conduct. He later resigned in a spectacularly odd display that he capped off with an appearance on the Glenn Beck Show.

The NRCC, however, attacks Massa as if he's in office or seeking office. From the e-mail:

"‘While approximately $588,000 in Rangel contributions have already been returned [by other Congress members and candidates],it appears that Eric Massa has no problem with aligning himself with Charlie Rangel and his notorious ethics problems,' said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. ‘Massa's refusal to cough up every penny of his tainted $74,000 is a slap in the face to the New York taxpayers who voted him into office. Massa is clearly just a typical Washington politician who is happy to fill his campaign account with dirty money while refusing to hold his party accountable for their tarnished record.'"

The GOP must be trying to get a bump off of the Rangel probe. That's the only rationale I can think of for this press release.