U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) speaks during a news conference regarding the Patriot Act extension on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 15, 2006. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
Posted on 02/16/2006 1:59:14 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) on Thursday denied any connection between special projects he gained for his state and a Washington lobbyist whose wife works in Specter's office.
The Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker's statement was in response to a USA Today report published Thursday which said Specter had succeeded 13 times over the past four years in securing $48.7 million worth of defense projects for six clients represented by a lobbying firm co-founded by Michael Herson.
Herson is the husband of Vicki Siegel Herson, Specter's legislative assistant for appropriations.
"Ms. Siegel's husband did not lobby my office. The firm of Ms. Siegel's husband did not lobby my office. The companies which received the allocations or 'earmarks' were represented by other lobbying firms," Specter said in the statement.
He said the projects going to Pennsylvania were important for national defense, including one to Drexel University for Pentagon communications, networking technology and civil-preparedness against bioterrorism.
Herson also told USA Today that neither he nor anyone in his firm, American Defense International, had lobbied his wife or anyone else in Specter's office.
The report came as Congress, in the wake of lobbying scandals, debated legislation dealing with earmarks, the targeted projects that lawmakers insert in larger pieces of legislation, often at the urging of lobbyists representing special interest groups.
Lawmakers from both parties have proposed bills that would make it possible to eliminate unwarranted projects from bills without killing the entire bill and would set new rules requiring disclosure of details of the projects and their sponsors.
Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a leading Democrat on the lobbying reform issue, said Thursday that there was "reasonably broad consensus around the need to increase transparency," surrounding the thousands of earmarks that make it into bills every year. He also said that, like all senators, he tries to gain approval of projects that will help his state. "That's the game that we all play," he said.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) speaks during a news conference regarding the Patriot Act extension on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 15, 2006. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
WTF term limits is the only way to rid ourselves of these slime.
"Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record) on Thursday denied any connection between special projects he gained for his state and a Washington lobbyist whose wife works in Specter's office."
Just move along. No problem there.
Of course there is. Talk about chutzpah.
Spector better be clean as a whistle.The way he treats his own, they'll throw him under the bus in a heart beat and smile.
Hopefully.
This guy wouldn't even be clean after a bottle of Fleets.
I understand how important it is to not upset the congressional plurality that the Republican party now enjoys but, if I had my way, this dude would've been gone long ago. I can't even stand to listen to this guy speak. Dittoes for Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Lincoln Chaffee. I barf big time when I hear that Smarmy Susan Collins speak. What a sorry load of C--p that woman is.
I know we are just getting a first glance at this, but I don't think it looks good for Specter.
Why would he have to with his wife doing the job for him? Maybe Specter will support legislation to prohibit the relatives of elected officials or relatives of staff from using their connections to profit. Not likely to happen because it would surely put a crimp in most of the really profitable lobbying.
Memo to Arlen: Looks like you're outworn your usefulness to the presstitutes. Especially in failing to stop Alito. Oh well...
I hope Arlen enjoys his reward for his years of faithful service to the media and the Dims.
From your keyboard to God's ears! Would that Arlen goes out in disgrace, and soon. He's one of the most despicable humans ever to bear the title "Senator." Time and again the Republicans have helped him and to show his appreciation, he stabs them in the back at the first opportunity.
And to think PA coulda had Toomey.
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