Free Republic

Once powerful lobbyist Paul Magliochetti was sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison for making hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign donations and lying to the Federal Election Commission. U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III also sentenced Magliochetti to two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay a $75,000 fine. Magliochetti, a former staffer on the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee who had close ties to the late Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), in September pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., to one count each of making false statements, illegal conduit political contributions and...

A federal investigation into defense contracts awarded through congressional earmarks is increasingly focused on a former top aide to Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.) who worked with the congressman on funding requests from clients of a powerful lobbying firm, according to two sources familiar with the probe. Investigators have gathered evidence that Charles E. Brimmer, Visclosky's former longtime chief of staff, suggested to some lobbyists that companies seeking Visclosky's help in getting Pentagon funds would need to commit to a program of donations to the member of the Appropriations defense subcommittee, the sources said. The Justice Department is trying to...