I don't know how I missed this, but in case you did, too, here is Eleanor Holmes Norton doing what is completely legal and what congress members of both parties do every day -- and what is deeply unsavory. What probably distinguishes her from others is that she did it while being recorded and was perhaps a little more candid about the shakedown than many members of congress might have been.

The NYT accepts the voicemail and transcript as accurate, so I will too:

I was, frankly, uh, uh, surprised to see that we don’t have a record, so far as I can tell, of your having given to me despite my uh, long and deep uh, work. In fact, it’s been my major work, uh, on the committee and subcommittee it’s been essentially in your sector.

I am, I’m simply candidly calling to ask for a contribution. As the senior member of the um, committee and a subcommittee chair, we have (chuckles) obligations to raise, uh funds. And, I think it must have been me who hasn’t, frankly, uh, done my homework to ask for a contribution earlier. So I’m trying to make up for it by asking for one now, when we particularly, uh, need, uh contributions, particularly those of us who have the seniority and the chairmanships and are in a position to raise the funds.