Recent Event Highlights: John Murtha-Linked Contractor Indicted for Taking Kickbacks, Keeping Tabs on PMA Group's Clients, House Ethics Committee Takes Up Murtha/PMA Scandal, CBS Investigates Murtha Connection To Commonwealth Research Institute, Rep. John Murtha Defends Earmarks to District; FBI Subpoenas Records of Ally, PMA corruption probe heats up on Capitol Hill, and 12 more...
Created by dipity on Apr 28, 2009
Last updated: 09/19/10 at 05:42 PM
Is Congress getting money from defense lobbyists 7 on defense panel scrutinized By Carol D. Leonnig, The Washington Post October 30, 2009 Nearly half the members of a powerful House subcommittee in control of Pentagon spending are under scrutiny by ethics investigators in Congress, who have trained their lens on the relationships between seven panel members and an influential lobbying firm founded by a former Capitol Hill aide. The investigations by two separate ethics offices include an examination of the chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on defense, John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), as well as others who helped steer federal funds to clients of the PMA Group. The lawmakers received campaign contributions from the firm and its clients. A document obtained by The Washington Post shows that the subcommittee members under scrutiny also include Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) , CW Bill Young (R-Fla.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.). The document also indicates that the House ethics committee's staff recently interviewed the staff of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) about his allegation that a PMA lobbyist threatened him in 2007 when he resisted steering federal funds to a PMA client. The lobbyist told a Nunes staffer that if the lawmaker didn't help, the defense contractor would move out of Nunes's district and take dozens of jobs with him. The document obtained by The Post offers the most detailed picture yet of a ...
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Congressman John Murtha, the King of Congressional Pork acts may be losing his Teflon coating and his friends are getting a bit nervous. A few months ago, the FBI raided the offices of the PMA group. What they found suggested that Murtha and his
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Yid With Lid
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http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2009/07/john-murtha-linked-contractor-indicted.html
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...candidates, parties and PACS, past or present. Fifty-four percent of that total has actually gone to Republicans. Reps. John Murtha (D-Penn.) and Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), who was subpoenaed for documents related to PMA, top that list, collecting $2.2 million...
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Open Secrets
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/06/keeping-tabs-on-pma-groups-cli.html
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...out millions of dollars to lawmakers before closing its doors after an alleged raid by federal agents last November, and Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) in particular, is unusually far-reaching. The cozy relationship between certain members of Congress and PMA...
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061301869.html?nav=rss_opinions
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...contributed substantial amounts to several lawmakers including three key Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania has collected $2.37 million from PMA's lobbyists and the companies it has represented since 1989, according...
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Yid With Lid
http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2009/06/house-ethics-committee-takes-up.html
Tonight, the CBS "Evening News" took an in-depth look at Rep. John Murtha's (D-PA) connections to the Commonwealth Research Institute, which has a non-profit charity label despite no one knowing what charity work it actually does.
Washington Post journalist Carol D. Leonnig is questioned about biased coverage of Congressman John P. Murtha. ... John P. Murtha Jack Carol D. Leonnig The Washington Post Ryan Bucchianeri Norm Dicks PMA Elite Media Invasion of Johnstown Spin Wilde Productions Pork Earmarks Defense Airport Investigation CTC Mountaintop Technologies Kuchera Industries Systems Monongahela Grant Showcase for Commerce 12th District Democrat Congressman Representative Appropriations Bias Journalism ...
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...PMA and its former clients, which include some defense contractors that Murtha has recruited to open offices in Johnstown. Both Murtha and Visclosky have received generous campaign donations over the years from PMA lobbyists and their clients. Friday, at an...
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The Washington Post
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=90b800c1c5ce15fb34106c27c1307b94
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...Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm that specialized in securing federal contracts for defense firms from Visclosky, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and others on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee that Murtha chairs. In his hometown of Johnstown, Pa.,...
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Green Change
http://www.greenchange.org/article.php?id=4465
One could speculate as to why Murtha and his family are suddenly under investigation. Could it be he has loose lips........... I dunno.. just sayin'.... John Murtha is the Dem. Representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. Murtha has been best known for his calls for a withdrawal of American forces in Iraq. The site of the 911 crash in PA is in Shanksville which lies within Murtha's district. He is strongly pro-labor, and opposes both the North American Free Trade Agreement ...
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...Cause, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG, are urging the ethics panel to investigate activities involving PMA Group and Democratic Reps. John Murtha (Pa.), Peter Visclosky (Ind.) and Jim Moran (Va.), all members of the House defense appropriations subcommittee....
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The Hill
http://thehill.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82045&Itemid=70
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...perhaps because he too is under new scrutiny for his ties to the PMA Group. Even among donors, mainly defense interests, Murtha's standing appears to be slumping. His first-quarter campaign contributions were down by half from the same period after his previous...
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Kentucky.com
http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/774522.html
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...It will be interesting to see if there is a probe and where that leads. === WASHINGTON — So powerful was Representative John P. Murtha at one time that he used to put up billboards in his Western Pennsylvania district declaring that “the P is for Power.” Few...
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SwampBubbles
http://swampbubbles.com/20090425/democracy-21-and-other-groups-will-push-pma-scandal-probe-next-week
Democracy 21 and other good-government groups are expected to ask the House ethics committee next week for an investigation into lawmakers with close ties to defunct lobbying firm PMA Group, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said on Friday.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/34292-1.html
After a long silence on the unfolding federal probe of the PMA Group and its ties to senior Democrats, House Democratic leaders are cobbling together a defense to offer political cover to their rank and file.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/33974-1.html
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...it a tale of two congressmen in the crosshairs. One, Pennsylvania Democrat John P. Murtha, proudly embraces his ‘King of Earmarks’ nickname, and has requested dozens of earmarks for 2010, including millions for former clients of the PMA Group, which shut its...
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Muckety.com
http://news.muckety.com/2009/04/08/murtha-seeks-earmarks-for-former-pma-clients-visclosky-steers-clear/14251
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...PMA officially closed its doors last month. Other high-profile lawmakers with ties to the PMA Group, including Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.), continue to make requests for PMA’s former clients that also have roots in their districts. All...
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The Hill
http://thehill.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81235&Itemid=70
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...John P. Murtha can be found during House votes holding court in the “Murtha Corner” or “Pennsylvania Corner” of the chamber floor, laughing and joking with his fellow lawmakers or talking strategy about upcoming legislation. One thing you won’t hear the Pennsylvania...
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The Politico
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20782.html
Chuck Todd on Rep. John Murtha's Earmark scandal
Despite the fact that the firm will be closing its doors shortly, the PMA Group has filed several lawsuits against its clients in recent weeks for failure to pay a combined $150,000 in fees the firm believes it is owed, and more suits are apparently in the works.
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_106/news/33392-1.html
Murtha's Pay-to-Play Scandal Continues to Unfold
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday filed yet another resolution aimed at triggering a House ethics probe of the PMA Group, the defense lobbying firm under criminal investigation for allegedly providing improper campaign contributions.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/33239-1.html
The PMA Group, the lobbying firm with close ties to key House Democrats that was raided by the FBI last fall, has deep financial ties with many of the firms that it was lobbying for, according to a Roll Call review of financial records.
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_103/news/33201-1.html
The Senate on Wednesday rejected a proposal to strip from the omnibus spending bill a series of earmarks associated with a lobbying firm now under federal investigation, despite warnings from reformers that lawmakers would be forced to answer for their vote in the coming election cycle.
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_97/news/32889-1.html
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pushed back Tuesday against Republican attempts to eliminate spending in the omnibus appropriations bill for clients of PMA Group, a lobbying firm under investigation by the FBI.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/32805-1.html
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) wants to offer dozens of amendments to the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill to strip out earmarks that would benefit clients of the PMA Group, the lobbying firm that was raided by the FBI in November.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/32773-1.html
The House curtailed Rep. Jeff Flake’s (R-Ariz.) attempt Wednesday to force an ethics investigation into the relationship between earmark requests and campaign contributions, which he sought in response to the ongoing federal investigation into the PMA Group.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/32642-1.html
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...Center in Johnstown. Rogers declined to file a formal ethics complaint and a Republican resolution aimed at reprimanding Murtha was killed 219-189, largely along party lines. CREW, in its report, said that Paul Magliocchetti – the founder of PMA Group – a...
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The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_261232617.html
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