GOP Congressional bribery scandal grows...

GOP Congressional bribery scandal grows:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-29-cunningham-case_x.htm


The bribery scandal that caused Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham R-CA to resign in disgrace last week threatens to ensnare more high profile Republican legislators according to a report in USA Today.
Today's report said that San Diego businessman Brent Wilkes, who was referred to as "co-conspirator no. 1" in documents from the Cunningham investigation, had donated large sums of money to several influential Republicans, including Duke Cunningham, presumably in exchange for the government contracts worth nearly 100 million dollars, that were awarded to Wilkes' company, ADCS Inc. The court documents said that "Co-Conspirator No. 1" gave $636,000 to Rep. Cunningham. Wilkes' attorney has confirmed that his client is "Co-Conspirator No. 1".
Wilkes also gave over $40,000 in campaign contributions to Rep. Duncan Hunter R-CA, who now chairs the House Armed Services Committee. "Hunter has acknowledged that he joined with Cunningham in 1999 to contact pentagon officials", who then reversed their earlier decision and awarded a $10 Million contract to ADCS.
In addition, Wilkes "and his employees" gave $71,253 in campaign contributions to Rep. Jerry Lewis R-CA and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Lewis led a Congressional panel that ordered the pentagon to continue funding programs that aided ADCS, even though the Pentagon had requested that the programs be cut.
A report from the Pentagon inspector general concluded that "the money went to ADCS instead of projects for the Army's UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, Air Force bases, and a parts center in Oklahoma."
And lest you think that this scandal only involves the Republican Chairmen of two major House Committees, it appears that Wilkes also has close ties to President G. W. Bush himself. Yup, Wilkes is one of Bush's "Pioneer" fundraisers, a special distinction given only to those that raise/contributed over $100,000 to Team Bush. Anybody wonder where Wilkes got the money to donate to Bush?

:popcorn:

:rofl:

I wonder who got the contracts?

PRESENTATION TO
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

THE CASE FOR REBUILDING U.S. ARMED FORCES

A Special Report Prepared by

CONGRESSMAN DUNCAN HUNTER


CHAIRMAN, HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT


January, 2002

:popcorn: :party: :toast:

We've all heard the rumor that the list includes DeLay, Doolittle, Nay and Burns. Roger also sites an article in the OC Weekly referring to the Abramoff 6, which includes Dana Rohrabacher, Dave Vitter and Tom Feeny (sorry no Doolittle).

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/

:popcorn: