Rep. Peter Visclosky, whose office has been subpoenaed for documents related to clients of the defunct lobbying firm PMA Group, has temporarily stepped down as chair of the House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee. Lindsay Renick Mayer reports on Visclosky's woes, his top donors, and those of his replacement, Ed Pastor, who has taken less than a tenth as much in contributions from PMA Group and its clients (of course, I'm referring to contributions from their employees, family members and political action committees).
Continue readingLocal Sunlight 6/1/09
Every week I climb into the depths of the local political blogosphere to find the Sunlight. I use this series... View Article
Continue readingCREW visualizes Murtha web
Here's a picture worth well over a thousand words: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has assembled an interactive, "You Don't Know Jack" graphic showing the connections between Murtha, a trio of lobbying firms, relatives, staffers and the companies for whom he's gotten earmarks.
Well worth a look. Well worth remembering too that PMA Group isn't just a John Murtha scandal -- the firm was a top donor to 32 members of Congress in the 2008 election cycle.
Continue readingDelving into Rep. Lewis’ earmark requests
Ben Goad reports for the Press Enterprise that Rep. Jerry Lewis, former chair and now ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, earmarked $96 million for firms represented by Innovative Federal Strategies, which was once under federal investigation:
Inland Rep. Jerry Lewis is requesting more than $96 million in federal earmarks for clients of Washington lobbyists whose dealings with the veteran lawmaker were part of a criminal investigation launched three years ago.Would-be recipients of the earmarks, including Inland cities, agencies, hospitals and defense contractors with local branches, paid more than $1.3 million to the firm -- more than a third ...
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After FEC Eviscerates Bundling Disclosure Law, Only One Bundler Discloses
According to The Hill, only one political action committee (PAC) reported bundling campaign contributions for a political candidate during the... View Article
Continue readingNew Mexico Independent asks for help hunting earmarks
The New Mexico Independent is asking readers to delve into the earmark requests of Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, and comment on anything interesting they find. This is what's really important -- while the hide-and-go-seek disclosure methods of Congress make for an amusing diversion, it's the substance of the disclosures should command our attention.
So I'm happy to chip in the first thing I noticed: How about the first earmark disclosed here, to a company called Advatech Pacific. TPM Muckraker noted that the company's employees contributed to PAC run by Rep. Jerry Lewis' stepdaughter:
The group ...Continue reading
Tough Day for Credit Card Companies
It’s a tough day for the credit card industry. In spite of all the lobbying spending ($9,170,573 in 2009) and... View Article
Continue readingThe Grim State of Affairs for Car Dealerships
BusinessWeek, in a good piece on the falling fortunes of car dealerships asks the following question, “Why has Congress not... View Article
Continue readingCram down look ups, cont. cont….
Blue Dog Dems Rake in Health Care Contributions, Protest Exclusion from Debate
On the same day that President Obama met with a number of health care organizations, a group of 45 conservative... View Article
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