Bachus a plagiarist on internet gambling?

One of online gambling’s most bitter U.S. critics, Alabama Republican Representative Spencer Bachus, may have been less than original in his choice of words damning internet gambling, according to the Washington Times.

The newspaper quotes content from two op-ed articles written for the press by Bachus in 2009 which bear a distinct and noticeable resemblance to similar words originally penned in an article for the Wall Street Journal three years earlier by now retired Representative Jim Leach, a politician widely credited with the concept of “following the money” and introducing UIGEA-like disruptions in online casino financial transactions.

But Leach doesn’t mind, saying that Bachus was a key ally in his fight against online gambling in the United States, and that it is not uncommon for politicians to use the words of others.

Approached by the newspaper, Leach, who is now a visiting professor at the University of Iowa, said:

“I was close to Spencer Bachus and he’s a smart guy and he’s no slouch. I would consider it a compliment if he wanted to use anything I’ve written.”

Leach added that Bachus would have known about his long-term position on the issue, and so he might have told a staff member writing his material to go review Leach’s past statements.

“On Capitol Hill, most of the stuff is written by others … I don’t think he would’ve done this directly,” Leach said. “I definitely approve of it.”

Jonathan Bailey, founder of the website plagiarismtoday.com, said the writing is troublesome because the words are just about identical and no attribution was given.

Related and similar