this is why he's been out there running his mouth last couple weeks was to get his sympathy level up so he can play the victim when this hits the news cycle... kinda like a prevent defense
Posted on 12/02/2005 11:27:25 AM PST by george76
A family member's ties to special interests raise questions in the case of Democrat John Murtha.
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 ...
But the bill Murtha helped write also benefited at least 10 companies represented by a lobbying firm where his brother, Robert "Kit" Murtha...
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.
Disclosure of Kit Murtha's ties to the lobbying firm prompted criticism from Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan Washington watchdog group that tracks government spending.
"Family members lobbying family members is becoming an all-too-common phenomenon on Capitol Hill," ...
"What's even more troubling is that decisions about defense dollars are being made at family reunions rather than the halls of Congress."
Earmarks in appropriation bills routinely list only an amount of money awarded and a description of the project to be funded — without disclosing the name of the recipient firm.
... thousands of "parochial and politically motivated" items ...
Though Rep. Murtha would not respond to questions about which firms he sponsored for earmark funds, his office released a statement after House passage announcing the awards made to four KSA clients — KDH Defense Systems, AEPTEC, Mobilvox and Mountaintop.
(Excerpt) Read more at 72.14.203.104 ...
Culture of Hypocrisy PING!!!
LA Times ran this? Reads like old fashioned investigative reporting.
Well Well.........
Yessir...Pelosi and Reid have been spouting the "culture of corruption" phrase for months...
WE, our side, needs to use your saying "culture of hypocrisy" as our talking points...and you can use the hypocrisy label in many, many ways regarding what the dems say vs. the way they act...
can you say S C A N D A L?
Government is pretty much the world's largest wealth engine.
My guess is this isn't even illegal. More probably its how the system was designed so our Congresscritters could get rich.
I hear he has a sister named Kaboodle who helps keep the levees up to snuff in Louisiana.
Maybe we can help him some.
Hmmm...could this be the reason he made this big anti-war splash all of a sudden..knowing sh#t was going to hit the fan in the LA Times over conflict of interest?
Good Offense is better than a good defense?
Murtha also has raised some watchdogs’ concerns because his brother Robert “Kit” Murtha runs KSA Consulting, a lobbying group that represents some 10 smaller defense companies.
In 2004, Murtha’s brother was able to secure $20 million in the defense-spending bill for his clients.
Kit Murtha repeatedly has denied working directly with his brother’s office.
In comparison to Rep. Murtha, Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), who chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, receives far fewer political contributions from the defense industry, ...
“The other reason you see Murtha get so much is because Young does not ask for very much,” Ashdown said.
In the 2006 cycle, Young does not rank among the top 20 beneficiaries of defense industry political donations
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/101805/spending.html
Way to go, George!
this is why he's been out there running his mouth last couple weeks was to get his sympathy level up so he can play the victim when this hits the news cycle... kinda like a prevent defense
Perhaps, this time, justice will prevail.
From the LAT????? How this slip by the Editors???
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