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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| E-mails lay bare firms' pay-to-play links to lawmaker |
| 2010-06-23 |
| Defense contractors who openly discussed a suspected pay-to-play scheme in e-mails released by congressional ethics investigators had ties to a powerful lobbying firm and won millions of dollars in federal earmarks after contributing to the campaign of an Indiana congressman. Democratic Rep. Peter J. Visclosky requested a $2.5 million federal earmark for Nevada-based defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) five days after a March 2007 fundraiser for which the company's owners and its political action committee contributed $18,800 to the congressman's campaign. Similarly, Mr. Visclosky requested $2.5 million for defense firm 21st Century Systems -- five days after its employees ponied up $17,050 for the same fundraiser. The firm's chief executive was awarded an "honorary seat" next to Mr. Visclosky at that fundraiser. In both cases, company executives wrote e-mails linking campaign donations to earmarks Mr. Visclosky secured or special access to the congressman, a congressional ethics board concluded. At the time, SNC and 21st Century, along with other defense contractors, had secured the services of the then-high-flying Washington area lobbying firm, the PMA Group -- now the target of a federal grand jury investigation. Government watchdog groups have long questioned the ties between PMA and its three key allies on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee -- Rep. John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania Democrat, who died in February; Rep. James P. Moran, Virginia Democrat; and Mr. Visclosky. All three members of the powerful subcommittee that doles out millions of dollars annually in Pentagon appropriations received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from PMA employees and the firm's clients who wanted earmarks -- often within mere days of each other. PMA, which earned more than $16.4 million in 2007 specializing in defense earmarks for clients, was one of the 10 top-grossing lobbying firms in Washington before it imploded. Federal agents raided it and owner Paul Magliocchetti's home in November 2008. Late last year, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) accused Mr. Visclosky of soliciting PMA clients for campaign donations in 2008 and then giving them special access to him and his staff one week before authoring their defense earmarks. The eight-member OCE Board of Directors referred the findings on Mr. Visclosky to the House ethics committee, saying they found "probable cause" to believe he solicited or received contributions in exchange for earmarks. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Corruption is like murder though NoMoreBS. As Stalin said, "One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic". If I bribe a public official to get a contract worth a pittance, I'd get a lengthy prison sentence, when Soros does it to make Billions, its just "politics". |
| Posted by: bigjim-CA 2010-06-23 14:49 |
| #4 If you are following the Glenn Beck story of Soros, Obama, Center for American Progress, White House policy recommendations, Soros Petro-Bras investment of $1 billion, US "loan" of $2billion for deep water exploration (at more than twice the depth of the gulf rig), Petro-Bras value growth, BP disaster, Center for American Progress recommendation for 6 month moratorium on deep water drilling for environmental reasons, Petro-Bras plans for bidding to move the rigs from Gulf of Mexico to Brazil for the deep water wells anticipated..... you see corruption on a scale that echoes the early 20th centruy robber barons... |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2010-06-23 13:04 |
| #3 Good investment on their part. Not really. Consider the trillions China got in return for a few millions to Bill and Al. |
| Posted by: ed 2010-06-23 10:55 |
| #2 where's that arrogant prick, Moran? Why isn't he also front-and-center? POS |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-06-23 08:38 |
| #1 $18,000 for $2.5 million? That's a factor of 139. Good investment on their part. |
| Posted by: gromky 2010-06-23 06:53 |