Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) hubby – Thomas Athans – doesn’t appear to be a very nice chap at all.

Last year, he was caught with his pants down at a Residence Inn in Troy, paying hooker Alycia Lorraine Martin (above, left) $150 for sexual relations.

Residence Inn?  $150?  Her?  High class all the way there, Tom.  Anything to avoid getting all conjugal with the much older wife, eh?

But that was last year.  Tom’s scandal this year is to work as an “illegally unregistered lobbyist on the payroll of Democratic mega-donor Jim Papas.” (Hat-tip: Right Michigan).  This raises all sorts of deliciously career-threatening questions for Sen. Stabenow, as Nick makes clear at RM.

But stay right where you are, folks, for this sordid tale gets even better.

Links are emerging between Sen. Debbie Stabenow, her husband Thomas Athans, donor Jim Papas, Rep. John Conyers and his wife Monica Conyers and Sam Riddle (a Detroit Democrat, political consultant and former chief of staff to Monica Conyers).

In the interests of time and brevity, I’ve completely glossed over the connections here, so please head on over to Right Michigan for the down-low.

It looks as though the lid could soon be lifted off a crock of corruption so rank that it might rival even the mighty Chicago.

Good job that we’ve got Speaker Pelosi’s *cough* “pledge to make this the most honest, ethical and open Congress in history” to fall back on, right?  She’ll help us get to the bottom of all this?

Right?