OK, to appreciate this, you have to be reminded of the context.
The Department of Homeland Security gave a multimillion dollar contract to a limousine company (Shirlington) owned by an ex-con with a rap sheet a mile long, even though his company had a spotty record of service and shouldn’t have qualifed for the HUBZone status necessary to bid on the contract. And the company seems to have had a definite inside line on winning the contract.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=183081