Who Says Crime Doesn't Pay?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Crime Doesn't Pay?

The federal government made a $425,000 mistake by mailing stimulus checks to hundreds of convicts behind bars. The $250 checks were supposed to be sent to those legally receiving ben efits from the Social Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Railroad Board between November of 2008 and January of 2009.

A Social Security spokesman says 1,700 ineligible inmates got payments. He insists the error is relatively small and that most of the money has been returned. But House Minority Whip Eric Cantor says: "It speaks to the lack of oversight and accountability to have such nonsense coming out of Washington."

A Change of Tune

The head of the Democratic Party in Colorado is backtracking after suggesting Republicans were responsible for an attack on the group's main office. Vandals smashed windows displaying posters touting President Obama and his health care reform effort at Democratic headquarters in Denver early Tuesday.

The Denver Post reports Pat Waak, the Colorado Democratic Party chairwoman, initially called it: "An effort on the other side to stir up hate." But she has since said there is anger on both sides of the aisle. The reversal is due to this little fact: Police have arrested a Democratic Party operative with a criminal record, charging him with the vandalism.

Media reports say Maurice Schwenkler worked for the Democratic caucuses during the 2008 general election, campaigned for at least one state Democratic candidate and was paid for his efforts by liberal groups.

Republican State Representative David Balmer has a conspiracy theory: "This sounds like the type of Democratic tactic from the left fringe trying to make Republicans look mean-spirited. In this case, it blew up in their face."

Signature Move

Arnold Schwarzenegger is having a garage sale. The Republican governor of California is hoping to help balance his state's budget by selling thousands of surplus state items on Web sites such as eBay and Craigslist and during a public auction this weekend.

Schwarzenegger is signing some of the merchandise in an effort to raise even more money after getting the suggestion from one of his followers on the social networking site, Twitter. An adviser calls it an innovative idea. But a Democratic State Senator Dean Florez tells the Los Angeles Times he is amazed Schwarzenegger still, "resorts to these antics that are kind of reflective of a person that is larger than life."

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.