Maybe it's just me, but it was rather clear from the first two seasons that Daniels got himself (and his wife) some dirty money. His bosses (read Burrell) know (but are, at least in part, complicit) and the feds know (but don't care enough to do anything about it) based on a conversation between McNulty and Fitz (his FBI buddy).

How is this at all vague or elusive?

Its vague and elusive to the 2 wingnuts given the assignment to write the TV club who may or may not actually be fans of the show hence their need to spend all their time writing about the newspaper end of things.

Ha! I wouldn't go so far as to call them wingnuts (usually), but yeah, these two writers (particularly Mr. Plotz) seem to be somewhat in the dark as far as the history of the show; as a result, their analysis can sometimes focus on aspects of the show that most fans can more easily recognize in their proper perspective.

In the episode back in season 2 where he discusses what happened in the bad old days, Daniels clearly has not done anything wrong himself, but the squad he was in was involved in problems that he didn't blow the whistle on. There was never an indication that he took "dirty money."

Daniels and Marla kept talking about how whatever-it-was was the leg-up that got them where they are today. To me, that seemed to be a hint that he'd taken $$.

I don't think that's right. I believe Fitz, or someone, specifically mentions his finances and more than implied that he lived above his means but not enough to really alarm anyone.

Besides, simply being complicit in wrong doing doesn't seem like a skeleton that Burrell could horde over him the way he has. Seems like he'd actually have to be dirty for it to be such a valuable secret.

I'll have to watch it again but I'm positive when he's talking to Burrell he says "I'm not the only one who took money back in the Eastern DEU and then he threatens to implicate everyone else involved.

If that's what it was, don't you think Burrell would have used it back when he threatened to ruin him for going after Clay Davis via the driver back in the first season, instead of dumping him in the evidence room? At any rate, the FBI buddy talks about Daniels having more than he should in assets, but that's explained away at some point. And if they could have indicted him, wouldn't they have by now?

I remember thinking it would be out of character for Daniels to have taken money, and even more so for him not to have been more clever in hiding it; and in the conversation with his wife you're talking about, I didn't think they meant stealing money, I thought they were talking about political moves he'd made. I'd have to read the script to remember what it was, though.

I'll see if I can find the exact conversation where Daniels says he didn't take money, he just knew about the corruption, and post about it if you like.

And ps, long time no viddy, wassup?

Fitz says he has too much money in assets, but I remember it being explained away later on during a conversation with someone. But really, a couple as politically savvy as Marla and Cedric wouldn't know how to hide a couple hundred thousand in dirty money? I don't buy that. And it looks like Burrell didn't manage to get any purchase with the threat, since Daniels ignored it and did what he thought was the right thing to do (and took a desk job for it, but wasn't exposed by Burrell for whatever he did in the eastern command).

I remember the convo differently, but don't have the DVD.

Its in season 1 episode 12

Seriously. I may have gone deaf or something.

You still are right in essence, that anyone who's being paid to write about a show the caliber of the Wire ought to know what the hell Daniel's skeleton is.

I have 4 seasons of dvd so maybe I'll try to re-watch 1.12.

And to test my memory: I think the implication was that he took money, and that he (and his then wife) were living beyond their means, and that Burrell was keeping the info in reserve as leverage or for when it could do the most damage.

Also though re Herc and Carver: they took money right? Like real money, lots of it.

Herc and Carver took money they found in a toss-- I'm gonna guess season one. The FBI file on Daniels was definitely mentioned in the very beginning, HBO's site even mentions that Fitz tells McNulty about it in episode 1, and there has been enough of an undercurrent of this character issue throughout the entire series, so I don't understand why whosisface Plotzberg wouldn't remember that was the issue, even if it were never overtly stated that he took cash.