Posted on 10/31/2009 2:04:05 PM PDT by opentalk
More than 30 US politicians, among them seven members of a defence procurement committee, are being investigated in congressional ethics inquiries into influence-peddling, according to a document leaked accidentally on to the internet.
The disclosure sheds light on a process by which billions of dollars a year are spent on defence projects that the Pentagon does not want and which limits funds available for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
House Representatives named in the document include John Murtha, the chairman of the House Defence Appropriations Sub-committee, who added so-called “earmarks” worth more than $100 million (£61 million) to last year’s defence budget and received $743,000 in campaign contributions from defence contractors. The contributions were funnelled through the PMA Group, a lobbying company set up by a former aide to Mr Murtha which closed after being raided by the FBI this year.
Five of the seven members named in the leaked document are Democrats, which is an embarrassment for Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, who pledged to “drain the swamp” of corruption and excessive corporate influence on Capitol Hill.
This week President Obama signed a Defence Authorisation Bill providing $680 billion in military spending for the coming year, including $2.5 billion for ten transport aircraft even though the Pentagon said that it has enough of them. The Bill authorises funding for an alternative engine for the F35 joint strike fighter that the Air Force says it does not need and a destroyer that the Navy says is obsolete.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Anyone know who the 2 RINO’s are?
I can’t imagine why the dems are even investigating this unless the 2 GOPers are huge fish they want to fry.
The more RINO’s OUTTED....the better.
Better to clear the decks now and have a 'fresh' face come the election.
Murtha is a criminal who belongs in prison. That speaks a lot about the kind of people who he represents. He called them “rednecks” and other insulting things and they turned around a re elected him. How can you fight against that kind of stupidity?
I totally agree. Just wondering what their motivation is since they control whether investigations take place or not....
Well you can bet the ‘ethics’ committee isn’t going to do a thing against the likes of Rangel, FRank, Conyers, Waters.
Whites may be a whole different story.
I hope this ‘leak’ was some C.I.A. payback!
The contributions were funnelled through the PMA Group, a lobbying company set up by a former aide to Mr Murtha which closed after being raided by the FBI this year.
Thanks for the ping, Justa.
Fat Jack has certainly become a popular guy for newsprint for the last several months, especially since this House doc was leaked on the Internet.
The millions in earmarks and no bid contracts he’s channeled to companies who in turn have donated hundreds of thousands back to him in campaign donations is clearly an abuse of our system and illegal but hard to prove, while all the time he just thumbs his nose at anyone questioning him on it.
I and in fact all of us are looking forward to the day he won’t won’t be able to thumb that big nose of his due to his hands being cuffed behind his back as they march him off to the slammer.
Don’t know how realistic that is but I feel better just writing it. :-)
Calling Feinstein....
First, The Services may want something, but the political appointees at the top (SecDef, etc.) may, for political reasons, deny the Services' request. The term "Pentagon" may include dissenting opinions.
Second, the Congress is empowered by the Constitution to "raise and maintain armies." That is, Congress has just as much right to decide whether the Services should have something as does the Administration. Congress isn't a rubber stamp for the SecDef.
Having said that, putting pork in the Defense bill should be a crime.
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