Defense contractors raked in $137 million in the past two years thanks to their political donations to Democratic Congressmen John Murtha, Jim Moran and Pete Visclosky — who all sit on the defense appropriations subcommittee.
Which Murtha chairs.
And which had as its chief of staff Paul Magliocchetti, until he formed a lobbying company called PMA Group.
PMA’s clients naturally were defense contractors.
And in the last 20 years, PMA clients have given Murtha $2.4 million, Visclosky $1.4 million and Moran just under $1 million.
Hmmm...maybe he didn't like Blackwater and Halliburton because they weren't part of PMA? If this were a Republican, the calls for his head would be coming from all over? What is especially egregious is how Murtha may have been manipulating things against the contractors who had contracts into losing them so his buddies he provided help and earmarks for got contracts. Scary stuff.
But, I thought these last two congresses under the Pelosi family were supposed to be the most ethical and transparent ever...well, I guess transparent means blatantly corrupt....
Don Surber was on this case 2 years ago. The AP just gets in the game this week.
From the Surber 2007 article:
In 2006, PMA Group lobbyists gave $1,333,074 to three Democratic congressmen and walked away with $100 million worth of contracts for PMA clients. That’s a return of $75 for every $1 invested in just 6 months. In 2008, look for mo’ money and mo’ Democratic congressmen to cash in.
The 3 Democratic rent-to-own congressmen are John Murtha, Jim Moran and Peter Visclosky.
On Monday Paul Singer of Roll Call said Jesus Reyes set up a political action committee on behalf of his brother, Democratic Congressman Silvestre Reyes, who heads the House Intelligence Committee.
Singer reported the Reyes PAC “raised $50,000 this spring almost entirely from staff and clients of powerhouse lobbying shop PMA Group, and within weeks, those same donors reaped millions of dollars in earmarks from Reyes and other Members of Congress closely affiliated with PMA. ”
He noted many of the donors “are long-time supporters of Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.), Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) and Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.). The offices of Murtha, Mollohan and Visclosky did not respond to requests for comment last week. ”
What a crew. PMA, Mollohan, Moran, Murtha, Reyes and Visclosky, aka, Earmarks Inc.
I’m not kidding. PMA was founded by Paul Magliochetti, who worked for Murtha on the defense appropriations subcommittee. Richard Kaelin went from being Visclosky’s chief of staff to lobbying for PMA. At least one of its clients — Concurrent Technologies Corp. of a Johnstown, Pa., — was set up as a tax-exempt group by Murtha in the 1980s.
You donate — invest — rent — a congressman and he then forces the Pentagon and CIA to give you a fat contract — at a time of war.
Singer reported: “In July, those three Members and Reyes provided 12 earmarks in the House-passed Defense appropriations bill for donors to BEST PAC, totaling about $30 million.”
And conservatives thought the only kleptocracy was the UN.
And the idiots in the birthplace of our democracy, Pennsylvania, voted this scumbag Murtha back to office. Shameful and disgraceful!
