The Washington Post weighs in on the investigation into Maryland state Sen. Ulysses Currie, criticizing his attempts to play the role of both legislator and corporate consultant: a balancing act that got his home and office searched by the FBI.

Of particular concern are official actions Currie may have taken on behalf of a supermarket chain that he had received undisclosed payments from:

Perhaps Mr. Currie, whose arrangement with the chain, Shoppers Food and Pharmacy, is now the subject of an FBI investigation, regarded the matter of disclosure as a nicety. It's not. His failure to disclose suggests an attempt to hide the fact that for some years he was apparently acting simultaneously as a lobbyist and a lawmaker. That confusion and conflation of roles amounts to a glaring conflict of interest, one that is explicitly disallowed by law. While Maryland lawmakers can and often do have private-sector employment, the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics has stated clearly that they are barred from jobs that consist mainly of lobbying state and local officials. If Mr. Currie's work for Shoppers involved tasks beyond lobbying state officials, we haven't heard about them.

Think of it this way -- fill out a few disclosure form now, or have the guys in FBI windbreakers come knocking on your door later.