The future of the PMA Group investigation

June 18, 12:12 PMCongress ExaminerIgor Derysh

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Congress Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

PA Rep. John Murtha

The story of earmarks and corruption in which all roads lead to John Murtha.

As I have reported earlier, the lobbisyst firm The PMA Group was shut down in 2008 and just recently subpoenas have been handed down to those involved in the scandal.

Among the subpoenaed is Indiana Congressman Pete Visclosky. Missing from the subpoena list are Virginia Congressman Jim Moran who, like Visclosky, profited greatly from his dealings with PMA and the man who appears to be the godfather of corruption in the PMA investigation, John Murtha.

Background

Until their offices were raided by the feds and their operations shut down, the PMA Group was a big time lobbyist firm for contractors that posted close to $17 million a year in income.

As it turned out, to stay on top of your game, you have to pay top dollar. The FBI raid had come on the heels of a not-so-startling discovery that the PMA Group had their clients contribute millions to the campaigns of select Congressmen in return for congressional earmarks.

Among those involved were Visclosky, Moran, Murtha, and a former employee of Murtha's, Paul Magliocchetti.

All three Congressman received hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions from PMA Group clients. The deals has been brokered by Magliocchetti, the firm's founder.

The Ethics Committee

The tradition in Washington is to resist the urge of the pot to call the kettle black.

These things are typically ignored by Congress and rarely investigated by the Ethics Committee, perhaps the most useless committee in existence.

After pressure from Republicans, Democrats gave in and announced that there will likely be an investigation into scandal. An investigation that will go nowhere and go nowhere fast.

The Ethics Committee will not reprimand Viscloky, currently using the same bribe money to his campaign for his legal fees. Or Moran. And certainly not Murtha, perhaps the most corrupt of the Democrats in Congress.

Nothing will happen to Murtha's nephew, Robert Murtha, whose contracting firm profited greatly from the earmarks that Murtha added to bills while Chairing the Defense Appropriations Subcomittee.

Nothing will happen to a system that encourages contractors to pay money to get money from Congressional earmarks.

Nothing will happen to a system of lobbying for earmarks using winks, secret handshakes, and campaign funds.

Nothing will happen to the man subpoenad, Pete Visclosky. And nothing will happen to the Jim Moran, the man who said that he intends to "earmark the s**t out of his subcommittee" or Murtha who said that if he is indeed corrupt (he is), it is only because he cares about his district.

No Mr. Murtha. You are corrupt because you have cost the tax payers billions of dollars in earmarks that have gone to causes that suit only your need.The story of earmarks and corruption in which all roads lead to John Murtha.