Look at this....
While the big story right now is about Rep. John Murtha's call for a pullout from Iraq within 6 months, it appears Murtha is going to have some big problems soon...
Republican lawmakers say that ties between Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and his brother’s lobbying firm, KSA Consulting, may warrant investigation by the House ethics committee.
The calls come as Murtha, a former Marine and pro-military Democrat, has made headlines this week by coming out in support of a rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
According to a June 13 article in The Los Angeles Times, the fiscal 2005 defense appropriations bill included more than $20 million in funding for at least 10 companies for whom KSA lobbied. Carmen Scialabba, a longtime Murtha aide, works at KSA as well.
KSA directly lobbied Murtha’s office on behalf of seven companies, and a Murtha aide told a defense contractor that it should retain KSA to represent it, according to the LA Times.
In early 2004, Murtha reportedly leaned on U.S. Navy officials to sign a contract to transfer the Hunters Point Shipyard to the city of San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A company called Lennar Inc. had right to the land, and Laurence Pelosi, nephew to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was an executive with the firm at that time.
Murtha also inserted earmarks in defense bills that steered millions of dollars in federal research funds toward companies owned by children of fellow Pennsylvania Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D).
Anyone thinking what I'm thinking?
Obviously Murtha's in the tank for someone. Whatcha bet one of his pet projects began losing defense contracts under Rumsfeld?
yes I am ready for a Killians!
this is the same company that bought all the old EL Toro Marine base for redevelopment. I wonder if Murtha had a hand in that too
I don't know what you're thinking, but it sounds to me like Murtha is trying to inoculate himself from an ethics investigation. After his little tirade yesterday, now he can say he's being persecuted if pubbies charge him....and MediaCrats (especially David Schuster/Chris Matthews) will compare it to the White House "smear" on the sainted Joe Wilson!