As Politico reports, there are some interesting twists to the story about attempts to regulate online gambling. Before president Bush leaves office, one of his aides who used to work for the NFL is frantically pushing for new regulations by the executive branch on internet gambling.

A Tennessee Democrat is charging a top Bush adviser with exerting "considerable political pressure" to benefit one of his former lobbying clients. Rep. Steve Cohen asked White House Counsel Fred Fielding to investigate whether William Wichterman, a top political aide to the president, disclosed his "potential conflict of interest" in pushing the administration to enact new requirements to enforce an Internet gambling ban, according to a letter the congressman sent Friday. As late as March, Wichterman was a registered lobbyist with Covington & Burling where he represented the National Football League, according to the Senate lobbying disclosure database. In that role, he worked on the Internet gaming laws, one of the league's top legislative priorities.

The sense of urgency by Mr. Wichterman is curious:

Wichterman and other White House officials are trying to rush these rules changes through the administration's normal approval process during the final months of the Bush presidency.

The proposed rule would use banks and other financial institutions as enforcers of the law. This is not an appropriate role for private entities. Conservatives and libertarians alike should oppose forcing these institutions to act as government agents.

The new rules would require banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions to block all financial transactions with Internet gambling sites. Online gambling is illegal in this country.

FreedomWorks added this issue to our campaign website www.NetFreedomForever.com, where we highlight on threats to personal liberty and online privacy. Here is what Rep. Ron Paul had to say about regulations on internet gambling.

The regulations and underlying bill also force financial institutions to act as law enforcement officers. This is another pernicious trend that has accelerated in the aftermath of the Patriot Act, the deputization of private businesses to perform intrusive enforcement and surveillance functions that the federal government is unwilling to perform on its own.

Rep. Paul is right. The federal government should not be in the business of forcing banks to act as snoops when it comes to something as trivial as online gambling. We should also be asking questions about the motivation behind Mr. Wichterman's efforts to push these regulations before president Bush exits the stage. Is he merely looking to return to his job as a lobbyist for the NFL? Would getting this done land him a bonus when he leaves the White House? Who knows, but something does smell fishy. ...[MORE]