It looks like Gibbons has taken another page out of Bush’s playbook by trying to buy positive media coverage.

The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting this morning that Jim Gibbons paid $8,000 to a Reno radio reporter on November 30 for “post election analysis”. Just like they did when Gibbons was exposed for plagiarizing a speech two weeks ago, Gibbons’ office is, once again, pleading ignorance by claiming they didn’t know Andrea Engleman was reporting while being paid by the Congressman. Gibbons is planning to run for Governor in 2006.

Engleman defended the payoff as a favor, saying that Gibbons gave her the $8,000 “to get through Christmas” after she was fired from her political reporting job at KRNV as co-host of “Nevada Newsmakers”. Engleman is still covering Gibbons and other Nevada politics for KKOH radio, including a speech delivered by Gibbons at the Nevada Legislature last month.

While Engleman describes the $8,000 as a one-time favor, Gibbons’ office says they are considering Engleman for future work. You will remember GIbbon's for his communist remark, and his plagerized speech, and of course Hannity getting nailed, trying to bail him out.