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Corruption in America: Rep. John P. Murtha
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Rep. John P. Mrtha (AP)
Questions about the connection between the disgraced PMA lobbyist firm and Representative John P. Murtha (D-PA) were brought to the forefront by the an article in the New York Times on February 11, 2009. Murtha was said to be among three politicians who had taken campaign contributions from Paul Magliocchetti, the head of the lobbyist firm, PMA.
Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post and reported in an article on March 17, 2009. the newspaper had obtained documents showing that Rep. Murtha had close ties to PMA and a research firm, The Electro-Optics Center, which had been created by Murtha a decade ago under the auspices of Pennsyvania State University. The Center had collected close to $250 million in federal funding through Murtha and the lobbyist firm. A significant portion of the funding went to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.
In 2008, the Pittsburgh U.S. attorney received a packet of budget materials, memos and e-mails from inside the center showing how closely its managers conferred with the lobbyist firm, PMA, about the best ways to get its project funded in the federal budget. (Earmarks?) This opened a window into a largely hidden process in which powerful lawmakers can direct funds to pet projects.
The investigation began with concerns about a prominent lobbyist, Maglioccetti and PMA and two "handlers" who had helped funnel money as campaign contributions from their clients to Murtha. The Capital newspaper, Roll Call, had noted that during the last two weeks before the 2008 election, PMA executives and clients in the defense industry gave the Murtha more than $100,000 in campaign contributions.
The investigation is especially timely because of the recent arrogance shown by members of Congress when the 9000 earmarks put into the recent budget bill were exposed. However, there may be more investigations of this type which include Reprentative James P. Morgan (D-Virginia) and Representative Peter J. Visclosky (D-Indiana). Credit should be given to the organizations, such as Tax Payers for Common Sense (TCS) and newspapers, the New York Times and Washington Post, for bringing the information to the attention of the American public.
For more information: Research Center's Role Faces Scrutiny by Carol D. Leonnig for the Washington Post, March 17, 2009
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