March 2, 2009, 5:57 p.m.

For the long serving gentleman from Indiana, Rep. Pete Visclosky, more than $1.3 million. For the ranking member, Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young of Florida, more than $460,000. For the gentleman from Virginia, Rep. Jim Moran, a tad less than $1 million. And for their ringleader, Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania and chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, a whopping $2.3 million from lobbying firm PMA Group and its clients, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

We already know that more than 100 House members earmarked funds for PMA Group clients, and have, "since 2001, accepted a cumulative $1,815,138 in campaign contributions from PMA’s political action committee and employees of the firm."

So far, it seems that investigation has focused on campaign finance irregularities -- straw men and questionable fundraising practices. Will there be a broader examination of how the firm worked Congress for its clients?

Campaign Cash Coincidences? Murtha Gives Earmarks to Murtha Donors

Bill Allison

Sept. 19, 2007, 5:07 p.m.

Lobbyists, campaign cash and earmarks: Roll Call's Tory Newmyer, with help Taxpayers for Common Sense, shows ($$) the correlations:

Every private entity that Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) favored with an earmark in this year’s defense bill recently has given political money to the lawmaker, according to an analysis of House Appropriations and federal elections records by Roll Call and Taxpayers for Common Sense. PACs and employees of those 26 groups together have contributed $413,250 to Murtha since the beginning of 2005. He collected nearly a quarter of the sum — $100,750 — in the two weeks leading up to March 16, the original deadline for lawmakers to file their earmark requests.

Murtha's not alone in this. Anu ran contribution numbers from earmark recipients favored by Rep. James Moran, a fellow appropriator, for the current election cycle: companies that are in line to receive some $24 million in earmarks contributed $75,800 to Moran's campaign committee. We didn't even get around to running the numbers for his leadership PAC yet. [Update: After running the PAC numbers, Anu found that contributions figure rises to $99,900...]