Looks like Duke seriously stepped in it. Too bad. I like the guy, but when someone offers me about twice what my house is worth, I'm going to think about it for a while.
Especially when I know with whom the offerer does business with.
Also, he had to know that that boat cost about a million dollars. Does paying dock fees and maintenance cover the mortgage on the boat? Give me a break.
Only his cron... er ... friends call him "Duke".
Duke is about to get a congressional sized ZOT!
What are our elected politicians doing with yachts?
Thank God his district is safe.
Guy shot down 3 Migs in one day over Vietnam, was an ace; wish it was some loser congressman insted. Maybe that's why he thought he could get away with it, though.
Duke, I've supported you for years but it's time to pay the piper - resign and fight like hell - but unless this is a fabrication you must step aside.
Cunningham is a member of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both of which oversee the kind of classified intelligence work MZM does for the military.
Cunningham has also lived part-time on Wade's boat, docked on the Potomac River. He has said he agreed to pay dock fees and service and maintenance costs to Wade in lieu of rent to stay there. Living on Wade's boat without paying would violate congressional ethics rules.
He sells his house to a government contractor, who's business has tripled, and he's staying on this guys yacht?
Incredible.
Reading this, you have to assume Duke is a Dem?
Over and over, on threads about Dem corruption, I read that "If so-and-so had been a Republican, they'd have trumpeted this in the headline!" Well, it doesn't seem to be so...
We need to throw away the keys to the cells of corrupt politicians. Of whatever party.
Many of the commentators are too quick to condemn. Here are some facts that seem to be missing from the national press:
– The price received for the house was determined by a local real estate agent. The fact that the house was later sold for less is irrelevant. Obviously the agent needs to be questioned as to how the price was determined, but absent of any collusion with the Congressman, there is nothing wrong.
– What is the rental value of living on a yacht moored at the dock? Is it greatly in excess of what was paid? What is the size of the living quarters?
– Finally, what power does a congressman have in awarding Government contracts. Everyone can get some assistance from their Congressperson in dealing with the Government, but awards of contracts are made by the Executive Branch, not Congress.
I am not saying that the Congressman is innocent; however, he should be given the benefit of the doubt until an ethics or other violation is proven. Nothing mentioned in the article is a definite violation.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 By Ken Silverstein and Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- When Congress passed the $417-billion Pentagon spending bill last year, Rep. John P. Murtha, the top Democrat on the House defense appropriations subcommittee, boasted about the money he secured to create jobs in his Pennsylvania district.
But the bill Murtha helped write also benefited at least 10 companies represented by a lobbying firm where his brother, Robert "Kit" Murtha, is a senior partner, according to disclosure records, interviews and an analysis of the bill by the Los Angeles Times.
Clients of the lobbying firm KSA Consulting -- whose top officials also include former congressional aide Carmen V. Scialabba, who worked for Rep. Murtha for 27 years -- received a total of $20.8 million from the bill.
One of the clients, a small Arkansas maker of military vehicles, received $1.7 million, triple its total sales for 2004. Several other clients received money that represented more than half of their annual sales from last year.
KSA directly lobbied the congressman's office on behalf of seven companies that received money from the bill. And a defense contractor based in Pennsylvania said he hired KSA on the recommendation of a top Murtha aide.
Kit Murtha said in a phone interview that he did not lobby his brother's office and that he saw no problem working for a firm that did.
Most of KSA's defense clients hired the firm in hopes of securing funding from Rep. Murtha's subcommittee, according to lobbying records and interviews. And most retained the firm after Kit Murtha became a senior partner in 2002.
Waiting for federal agents to raid the home of Sandy Berger.