Posted on 02/19/2009 9:09:43 AM PST by smoothsailing
CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS – CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS
Feb. 19, 2009 – 5:52 a.m.
Firm with Murtha Ties Got Earmarks From Nearly One-Fourth of House
By Jonathan Allen and Alex Knott, CQ Staff
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 Ashdown, chief investigator at the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. “The sheer coordination of that would take an army to finish.”
PMA’s offices have been raided, and the firm closed its political action committee last week amid reports that the FBI is investigating possibly illegal campaign contributions to Murtha and other lawmakers.
No matter what the outcome of the federal investigation, PMA’s earmark success illustrates how a well-connected lobbying firm operates on Capitol Hill. And earmark accountability rules imposed by the Democrats in 2007 make it possible to see how extensively PMA worked the Hill for its clients.
In the spending bill managed by Murtha, the fiscal 2008 Defense appropriation, 104 House members got earmarks for projects sought by PMA clients, according to Congressional Quarterly’s analysis of a database constructed by Ashdown’s group.
Those House members, plus a handful of senators, combined to route nearly $300 million in public money to clients of PMA through that one law (PL 110-116).
And when the lawmakers were in need — as they all are to finance their campaigns — PMA came through for them.
According to CQ MoneyLine, the same House members who took responsibility for PMA’s earmarks in that spending bill have, since 2001, accepted a cumulative $1,815,138 in campaign contributions from PMA’s political action committee and employees of the firm.
Friends in High Places PMA’s founder, Paul Magliocchetti, is a former House Appropriations Committee aide who has a long-running relationship with Murtha, D-Pa., the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Murtha, who used to boast that his middle initial stands for “power,” carved out $38.1 million for PMA clients in the fiscal 2008 defense spending law, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Indiana Rep. Peter J. Visclosky , who serves on Murtha’s subcommittee and additionally is chairman of the subcommittee that allocates money for the Pentagon’s nuclear programs, earmarked $23.8 million for PMA clients in the fiscal 2008 defense spending bill.
His former chief of staff, Richard Kaelin, lobbies for PMA, as does Melissa Koloszar, a former top aide to defense appropriator James P. Moran , D-Va.
Moran sponsored $10.8 million for PMA clients, and Rep. Norm Dicks , D-Wash., another member of the subcommittee, sponsored $12.1 million.
Spokesmen for Murtha and Visclosky did not respond to requests for comment.
Spending Freely Of the 104 lawmakers who lent their names to earmark requests for PMA clients in the fiscal 2008 Pentagon spending law, 91 have, since 2001, received campaign money linked to PMA, either from its political action committee or its employees.
Overall, since 2001, PMA’s PAC and its employees together have poured $3.3 million into the coffers of congressional campaign committees and so-called leadership political action committees that support the ambitions of lawmakers who want to raise their profile.
In reviewing the millions of dollars of campaign contributions made by PMA or its employees, CQ excluded from its totals money from individuals whose employment by PMA could not be confirmed. Those unverifiable donations added up to less than $50,000.
Visclosky raked in $219,000 in campaign donations from PMA and its employees since 2001. That’s more money than he spent in three of his 13 elections.
Murtha’s political committees have collected $143,600 in contributions from PMA’s employees and its political action committee during the same period.
Moran ranks third, having taken $125,250 in PMA contributions since 2001.
Dicks is fourth at $91,600.
Rep. John B. Larson , the Democratic Caucus chairman, can attribute $37,850 worth of campaign money to PMA sources.
PMA was less generous with the campaign committees of other legislative leaders.
Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer , D-Md., got $11,000 in PMA-connected contributions during that time; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received $4,500; and Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina received $3,000.
Of the Democratic leaders, only Pelosi could be documented as having secured an earmark for a PMA client in the first Democratic-written Defense spending bill: $2 million for SA Photonics’ Satellite Coherent Optical Receiver.
Of the top 20 House recipients of PMA money since 2001, only Larson did not guide any earmarks to PMA clients in the fiscal 2008 Pentagon spending bill.
PMA and its employees have not given campaign money to the top three House Republican leaders, John A. Boehner of Ohio, Eric Cantor of Virginia and Mike Pence of Indiana.
It is clear from PMA’s earmark success, though, that it didn’t need the intervention of top leaders.
And though some of its political money went to Senate campaigns, PMA’s earmark success was clearly the result of efforts in the House, and particularly its efforts with the clutch of Democratic defense appropriators closest to Murtha.
“By and large their strength is nobody was better or more capable of moving the House Defense Subcommittee when it came to these matters,” Ashdown said.
No Overhead? Curiously, in the last four election cycles, PMA’s political action committee reported expenses of only $18, according to federal campaign finance reports compiled by CQ MoneyLine.
It reported no payroll costs.
The $18 was for re-ordering checks and another bank fee.
Now that PMA has been the focus of news reports, several lawmakers have said they’ll give away some of their campaign money.
“My campaign has informed me that the PMA Group has made contributions to my re-election committee in past years. I have directed that all contributions ever received from the PMA Group be returned to them,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren , D-Calif., chairwoman of the House ethics committee. “I do so without making any comment to the veracity of the allegations against PMA Group.”
Aides to Visclosky and Sen. Bill Nelson , D-Fla., also have told reporters that a portion of campaign money would be returned.
Murtha’s Corner The inventory of PMA’s contributions and earmark benefactors includes a number of House members who have clout by association, because they are Murtha’s friends or his proteges in the Pennsylvania delegation — a group that congregates along the southeast edge of the House chamber in what’s been known for years as Murtha’s corner.
Among the top 20 recipients of PMA campaign dollars since 2001 are Pennsylvania Democrats Mike Doyle ($69,400), Tim Holden ($57,275), Paul Kanjorski ($37,150) and Chris Carney ($38,500) — even though Carney was first elected in 2006.
In the PMA donation top 30 are Pennsylvania Reps. Patrick J. Murphy ($29,250), Allyson Y. Schwartz ($25,000) and Jason Altmire ($24,500). Schwartz was first elected in 2004, and Altmire and Murphy first won their seats in 2006.
Those Pennsylvanians combined for $17.3 million in PMA earmarks in the single fiscal 2008 bill shepherded by Murtha.
Rep. Michael E. Capuano , who is often only partially visible in the House chamber because he stands behind Murtha’s back row with his arms over the railing, has taken $54,000 in campaign contributions from PMA sources in the last eight years.
In the fiscal 2008 bill, he requested a successful $2 million earmark for Parametric Technology Corporation, a PMA-represented information systems company with offices near Capuano’s Boston-based district and in Murtha’s district in western Pennsylvania.
Capuano also secured $800,000 in that bill for another one of the lobbying firm’s clients.
The list of lawmakers who have guided money to PMA clients also includes Republicans, most prominently Reps. C.W. “Bill” Young of Florida and Jerry Lewis of California.
Young, the top Republican on Murtha’s subcommittee, won $20.4 million in earmarks for PMA clients, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. Lewis, the top Republican on the full Appropriations Committee, secured $8 million.
PMA’s customers, of course, turned the tax dollars they received into products and services for the government and profits for their companies.
As a cost of getting that business, they paid PMA nearly $16.4 million in 2007, according to congressional disclosure reports.
No lobbying firm specializing in Defense clients took in more money that year.
Until recently, PMA had 34 lobbyists on payroll, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
By comparison, the firm Holland and Knight, which made $15,000 more than PMA on lobbying in 2007, has 73 lobbyists and Patton Boggs, which took in more than $43 million in 2007, has 151 lobbyists, according to CRP.
It’s capitalism, Capitol Hill style.
“There has been a system put in place in this town and they are playing by the system,” a well-connected Republican lobbyist said of PMA. “They’re good at it, and the bottom line on good here is generating revenues.”
CQ © 2007 All Rights Reserved | Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1255 22nd Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 | 202-419-8500
"The close ties between Rep. John Murtha and a Washington lobbying firm raided by the FBI have put the powerful Pennsylvania Democrat under greater scrutiny. The lobbyists at PMA Group have been Murtha's fifth most generous campaign donor over time, but he is just one of 284 members of the 111th Congress who have collected money from the firm, which specializes in securing federal earmarks for its clients. In total, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee have given current members of Congress $3.4 million since 1989, with 79 percent of that going to Democrats."
For a complete list of all 284 members, click on link below and scroll down.The highlighted names sit on defense committees and sub-committees.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/02/embattled-lobbying-firm-pma-ta.html
MURTHA WATCH PING!
That’s not possible. President Obama got rid of all the lobbyists.
Nothing to see here, Move on...
Nothing of interest to report in the papers here, what’s Britney doing?
Ohhhhhh.
This all happend BEFORE our new savior got rid of all the lobbyists.
My mistake.
Well, at least we can rest assured nothing like this will ever happen again!!
:-)
bttt
Can we impeach the ‘mouth murtha’ yet???? Let me know, I have popcorn and beer waiting for the show....
This rotten SOB has GOT to be voted out of office.
Jaz, this really caught my attention...
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No Overhead?
Curiously, in the last four election cycles, PMA’s political action committee reported expenses of only $18, according to federal campaign finance reports compiled by CQ MoneyLine.
It reported no payroll costs.
The $18 was for re-ordering checks and another bank fee.
The sooner the better! I like beer!
Now wouldn't that be a shame. Are those crickets coming from the oval office.......or from the offices of White House Press Corps, I mean the offices of the White House PomPom Club?
Not likely. Not if he truly represents his constituents.
Pigs get fed, but hogs get slaughtered. He won’t escape jail this time. He won’t be able to, no matter how many D’s go down with him.
Most importantly, the three Congressional leaders on the left only got a little, and did little for it, save Pelosi.
If this sees the light of day, Murtha’s done. I suspect Geithner’s still not save either. You should see what happened on CNBC this AM. There was a revolt on the floor of the CBOT over the Generational Theft Act (Porkulous).
Popcorn poppin’ time.
Not much of a stretch to think of this as the Mafia in the House of Representatives with Murtha as Godfather and Magliocchetti the consiglieri, or vice versa.
To be added to the Murtha Watch ping list please notify myself or RedRover.
Amen! That jumped out at me too.
Seems his lobbyists may have been private contractors for him. I don't know anything about the workings of a lobbyist organization but with the amounts of money involved in this it screams of illegal activity.
Many congressmen are like mine, Mark Kirk (RINO-IL). He says that he opposes earmarks, but he ensured that the federal government spent at least $5 million, each, for education, city police depts., an a commuter train system, in our district. He’s a hypocrite and a liar, since he only opposes earmarks for other districts.
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