Lindsay Renick Mayer of the Center for Responsive Politics writes on OpenSecrets.org about PMA Group, the lobbying firm that specialized in defense appropriations and that is reportedly under investigation for campaign finance irregularities:
No matter how we slice and dice the data related to contributions from embattled lobbying firm PMA Group and its clients, Rep. John Murtha (D-Penn.), chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, remains at or near the top of the recipient list, along with Reps. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.). This week, though, we took yet another look at the contributions from the firm ...Continue reading
Another guilty plea in Abramoff case
Roll Call's Jennifer Yachnin reports:
Former Senate aide Ann Copland pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud, acknowledging she accepted more than $25,000 in gifts including tickets to sporting events and concerts from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates.Copland, a longtime aide to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) who left in 2008 to join Mississippi Public Broadcasting, has agreed to cooperate with Justice Department attorneys in their long-running investigation into lobbying activities on Capitol Hill. Copland is among the 18 individuals, including the incarcerated Abramoff, to be charged with wrongdoing ...
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House kills PMA probe
The House on Thursday night turned back another call to investigate the PMA Group, a once-powerful lobbying firm whose offices were recently raided by the FBI and which has close ties to Pennsylvania Rep. John P. Murtha (D).Twenty-one Democrats, including nine freshmen, voted to proceed with debate on the measure offered by Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake (R) calling for an investigation of the lobbying firm. Most of the Democrats represent fiscally conservative districts.
Republican Rep. Don Young of Alaska--the focus of an unrelated federal corruption probe--voted with the Democrats to table Flake's motion. He was joined by ...
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Visclosky endorses some form of action on PMA Group
A friend passes on this story:
U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-1st, was expecting the House to take some sort of action later today with respect to an inquiry into The PMA Group, the Washington, D.C., lobbying firm reportedly under investigation by the FBI.PMA has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Visclosky's campaign committee, as have many of its clients, for some of whom Visclosky has secured millions of dollars in federal contracts.
I have been urging the House leadership to open an inquiry into PMA, Visclosky told the Chesterton Tribune today. I am encouraged that ...
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Senate approves earmarks for PMA Group clients
Sen. Tom Coburn would like to do away with all earmarks; this evening the Senate voted on an amendment he proposed that would eliminate, from the Omnibus Appropriations bill, earmarks for 14 clients of the soon-to-be-defunct lobbying shop, the PMA Group. The purpose of the amendment read as follows:
To prohibit taxpayer dollars from being earmarked to 14 clients of a lobbying firm under Federal investigation for making campaign donations in exchange for political favors for the group's clients.
Like previous measures aimed at PMA Group, this one failed, 52-43. In essence, the House is on record as finding ...
Continue readingAppropriations Omnibus released
The House Committee on Rules has released the latest legislative tome -- this time, the rest of the FY2009 appropriations. The Labor-HHS-Education portion of the report -- available here -- is packed with earmarks. If you can download the pdf (I had trouble getting it to go), check pages 81 to 84 -- lots of earmarks in small type -- but no sponsor names (unless I'm missing something).
(Update I am -- lots of pages of lists at the bottom of the document, which didn't load completely the first time I tried to get into it...
Continue readingHidden earmarks?
This passage is from page 85 of the Labor, HHS, Education portion of the committee report for the big appropriations bill:
Buildings and Facilities
Within the amount provided for Buildings and Facilities, the bill includes $30,000,000 for nationwide repairs and improvements; $71,300,000 for the completion of Building 24 on the Roybal Campus in Atlanta, Georgia; $1,500,000 for facilities and equipment at the CDC laboratory in Ft. Collins, Colorado; and the remaining funds shall be used to begin planning and construction of Buildings 107 . and 108 on the Chamblee Campus in Atlanta, Georgia.
...don't ...
Continue readingPMA Investigation: Looking for More than Straw Men?
Congressional Quarterly looks in breadth and depth at the influence of the PMA Group, whose offices were raided by the FBI. (The story is co-written by my old colleague Alex Knott, who started delving into PMA back in 2004.) As good a story as it is ... here's an excerpt clipped from InstaPundit ...
More than 100 House members secured earmarks in a major spending bill for clients of a single lobbying firm " The PMA Group " known for its close ties to John P. Murtha , the congressman in charge of Pentagon appropriations.It shows you how good they were, said Keith ...
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PMA Earmark Scandal Grows
Thanks to earmark disclosure rules passed at the beginning of the 110th Congress, we are able to be entertained—disgusted—by stories... View Article
Continue readingPMA Group Investigation
After a series of articles noting the November FBI raid of the offices of the PMA Group, a Washington lobby... View Article
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