Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has been standing by Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) despite a high-profile federal investigation into Rep. Rivera’s campaign and personal finances. The relationship has drawn scrutiny, at least partially due to Sen. Rubio’s much-speculated-about status as a possible vice-presidential pick. Nonetheless, the two men have been friends for years, and Sen. Rubio has said he will not desert Rep. Rivera, regardless of his troubles. It’s worth noting, though, that Rep. Rivera is not the only figure in the scandal with ties to Sen. Rubio. Esther Nuhfer, a consultant to Sen. Rubio’s campaign committee, is waist-deep in the investigation.

Ms. Nuhfer, a fundraising consultant whom Rep. Rivera once described as his girlfriend, has been under investigation as part of a potential kickback scheme involving her firm, Communication Solutions, and Rep. Rivera. Political campaigns and committees tied to Rep. Rivera have paid Communication Solutions at least $817,000 since 2006, and investigators are looking to see if any of that money found its way back into Rep. Rivera’s pocket. The FBI has also interviewed Ms. Nuhfer about payments from Flagler Dog Track, a company that hired Rep. Rivera to promote slot machines in Miami but made payments to a company owned by his godmother.

The ethical cloud hanging over Ms. Nuhfer doesn’t seem to bother Sen. Rubio. His campaign committee paid more than $112,000 in payments to Communications Solutions in the 2010 election cycle, and Ms. Nuhfer is still fundraising for the senator. In December 2011, Ms. Nuhfer raised more than $200,000 for Sen. Rubio at a swanky downtown Miami hotel luncheon.

It’s one thing to stand by an old friend. It is another matter, however, for an ambitious politician to have his finances enmeshed with those of someone under investigation for shady financial transactions.

Facing an uncertain future in the Senate, the recently passed House version of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) didn’t exactly get a ringing endorsement from the Obama administration yesterday. Testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Controller Danny Werfel expressed concern over certain provisions, while noting “the president and the administration are in complete agreement with the act’s objectives.”

We certainly hope that means any reservations can be ironed out. The DATA Act is the kind of transformative transparency legislation that makes good governance groups like CREW salivate. It would allow the public and watchdog organizations far greater ease in tracking government spending by requiring uniform online reporting of all federal agency spending, thereby creating a valuable tool in identifying waste, fraud and abuse.

The concerns expressed by Controller Werfel seem innocuous enough. Mr. Werfel said the administration still has questions about the new presidentially appointed commission that would oversee agency efforts and the impact of new reporting requirements on state and local governments, universities and businesses. While it’s unclear from the hearing how large an obstacle these concerns are, CREW agrees with Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA), who noted why the DATA Act is sorely needed. While the administration has done an excellent job in making federal spending under the 2009 Recovery Act a model, Rep. Issa said such transparency has yet to spread throughout federal agencies because “officials have a lethargic view toward making this transition.”

The DATA Act is an important bill that deserves passage. Doing so will be a significant step towards creating a federal government that is committed to holding itself accountable, accessible and transparent. We hope the reservations expressed at yesterday’s hearing merely signals further cooperation in seeing this valuable legislation become law.