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Rep. Mollohan's 'Cheat River' Deal Probed
Newsmax ^ | April 25, 2006 | Carl Limbacher et al.

Posted on 04/26/2006 7:35:54 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

A land deal involving a Democratic congressman and a defense contractor he helped receive a federal contract has come under scrutiny.

Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, a 12-term congressman from West Virginia, last year jointly purchased a 300-acre farm along his state’s Cheat River along with Dale R. McBride, chief executive of FMW Composite Systems Inc. of Bridgeport, W.Va.

Mollohan’s real estate holdings and financial disclosures have drawn the attention of federal investigators, and the farm purchase "is the most direct tie yet disclosed between Rep. Mollohan and a beneficiary of the federal spending he has steered toward his home state,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

The $2.1 million contract awarded to McBride’s company was part of a much larger appropriations bill for fiscal year 2005 to fund the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Mollohan is a senior member of the House subcommittee that controlled the legislation.

The funds were to be used to develop lightweight payload pallets for space-shuttle missions.

Over the past five years, Rep. Mollohan steered more than $200 million to a network of nonprofit groups in West Virginia, often through narrow spending provisions known as earmarks.

The Journal reported earlier this month that executives of these groups and companies had contributed regularly to Rep. Mollohan's campaigns and his family foundation.

In a Senate hearing in 2003, then-NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe denied seeking $15.5 million in earmarks that had been directed to the Institute for Scientific Research and other contractors in Mollohan's congressional district.

Now Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have begun asking questions in Washington and West Virginia about Mollohan’s holdings and whether they were properly disclosed, according to the Journal.

Mollohan has acknowledged that he may have made "inadvertent” mistakes in financial disclosure forms.

But the federal inquiry has widened to include a probe of Mollohan’s business ties to people who have benefited from earmarks, according to sources who spoke to the Journal.

Mollohan – who has resigned from his post as senior Democrat on the House Ethics Committee to focus on combating the charges – said "any claim whatsoever” that investments such as the farm "are in any way related to my actions as a member of Congress is categorically false.”

McBride said he and longtime friend Mollohan had spent several summers together on a farm and had jointly purchased the Cheat River farm for $900,000 "so that our kids and grandkids could have” some of those memories, and not as an investment.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: alanmollohan; corruption; dalemcbride; earmarks; nasa; pork; porkbarrel; westbygodvirginia; westvirginia; wv
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I wonder if simply jointly purchasing land with a congressional beneficiary can count as corruption.
1 posted on 04/26/2006 7:35:58 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

--Mollohan has acknowledged that he may have made "inadvertent” mistakes in financial disclosure forms.

Would that work for me?


2 posted on 04/26/2006 7:39:19 AM PDT by bkepley
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Potential political scandal involving "Cheat" River....how appropriate. I've been rafting on the Cheat....it's a nice area to visit if you're into the outdoors.


3 posted on 04/26/2006 7:40:25 AM PDT by edpc
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

What he did is no different than what Duke Cunningham did. They are both crooked politicians and Duke is where he belongs and this guy should be prosecuted with the same swiftness and results.


4 posted on 04/26/2006 7:42:45 AM PDT by SwatTeam
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To: bkepley

Right after they snapped on the cuffs.


5 posted on 04/26/2006 7:43:49 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (BTUs are my Beat.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
"McBride said he and longtime friend Mollohan had spent several summers together on a farm and had jointly purchased the Cheat River farm for $900,000 "so that our kids and grandkids could have” some of those memories, and not as an investment."

It was for the children so how could it be wrong? The Democrat response will be their textbook "nothing to see here move along" response.

6 posted on 04/26/2006 7:44:02 AM PDT by hometoroost (TSA = Thousands Standing Around)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

FNC did an outstanding job of following the dots of corruption surrounding this man's dealings.


7 posted on 04/26/2006 7:44:05 AM PDT by OldFriend (I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.....and My Heart to the Soldier Who Protects It.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
McBride said he and longtime friend Mollohan had spent several summers together on a farm and had jointly purchased the Cheat River farm...

This sounds somewhat "brokeback" to me.....

8 posted on 04/26/2006 7:45:22 AM PDT by Onelifetogive (* Sarcasm tag ALWAYS required. For some FReepers, sarcasm can NEVER be obvious enough.)
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To: bkepley

Would that work for me?
------
No. You and I commit fraud and crimes. If you are in Washington, you "make mistakes" and suffer "oversights" and to use Hitlery's favorite.."I don't recall"...


9 posted on 04/26/2006 7:45:41 AM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

That damn Republican Culture of Corruption!!! It clearly corrupted this honest decent democrat who otherwise was as pure as the wind driven snow. If only the democrat party controlled congress, this never would have happened. /sarcasm


10 posted on 04/26/2006 7:46:26 AM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Mullohan's rise is net assets raised the flag of suspicion -- and now here is the first smoking gun. He's toast.


11 posted on 04/26/2006 7:53:23 AM PDT by WL-law
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Wonder if he made "inadvertent" mistakes on his TAX forms also?


12 posted on 04/26/2006 7:54:02 AM PDT by Suzy Quzy ("When Cabals Go Kaboom"....upcoming book on Mary McCarthy's Coup-Plotters.)
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To: hometoroost

I cheated for the sake of the children......that's been the Dem line for decades.


13 posted on 04/26/2006 7:54:57 AM PDT by Suzy Quzy ("When Cabals Go Kaboom"....upcoming book on Mary McCarthy's Coup-Plotters.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Query? What do you call a politician who champions strict ethical standards but in reality is in bed with recipients of Federal largess contolled by his committee?

Answer: A Democrat.


14 posted on 04/26/2006 8:02:29 AM PDT by Inwoodian
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

"...12-term congressman..."

Loser, welfare suck-up and lowlife who can't hold a job in the real world.


15 posted on 04/26/2006 8:03:04 AM PDT by butternut_squash_bisque (The recipe's at my FR HomePage)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Cheat River

something in a name?

But he doesn't have a thing to worry about. - He a DimRAt

16 posted on 04/26/2006 8:04:52 AM PDT by maine-iac7 ("...but you can't fool all of the people all of the time," Lincoln)
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To: SwatTeam
and this guy should be prosecuted with the same swiftness and results.

don't hold your breath

17 posted on 04/26/2006 8:05:50 AM PDT by maine-iac7 ("...but you can't fool all of the people all of the time," Lincoln)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

CULTURE OF CORRUP ... oh, wait, a Democrat? WITCH HUNT! WITCH HUNT!


18 posted on 04/26/2006 8:07:20 AM PDT by John Jorsett (scam never sleeps)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

All these politicians, Republican or Democrat, who line their own pockets in such a corrupt manner as Duke Cunningham or this character should be taken out, tarred and feathered, and hung from the nearest tree.


19 posted on 04/26/2006 8:07:26 AM PDT by D-Chivas
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

It would be very interesting to go back to his very first financial disclosure form, then add up the sum total of his legal earnings (salary and per diems etc.) through to the date of his last financial disclosure form. Compare the numbers.


20 posted on 04/26/2006 8:16:58 AM PDT by ikka
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