The Money Trail
The House ethics committee has launched an investigation of the link between earmarks and campaign contributions, in the wake of the FBI raid of the PMA Group. The lobbying firm specialized in defense earmarks and generated millions of dollars' worth of campaign contributions for key lawmakers, and it had particularly close relationships with Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.). Here is some of Roll Call’s coverage of the money trail that emanates from the PMA raid.
PMA Probe Moves Quietly
August 4, 2009
Nearly two months after the House ethics committee acknowledged it is investigating lawmakers’ ties to the PMA Group — a statement made in the wake of demands for public accountability — little is known about the inquiry because the panel is using a process that limits the amount of information it has to release.
Read the full articleEarmark Case Yields Guilty Verdict
July 31, 2009
A federal jury in Florida issued a guilty verdict Friday against defense contractor Richard Schaller for helping to defraud a military laboratory and illegally steer contracts to his own company, the Associated Press reports.
Ex-Air Force Employee Pleads Guilty in Case Tied to Murtha Earmark
July 20, 2009
A former Air Force employee pleaded guilty Monday to skimming money from an earmark that was provided to a Pennsylvania defense contractor by Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.).
Appropriations Panel Routinely Destroyed Old Earmark Requests
July 14, 2009
The House ethics committee has announced that it is investigating the links between earmarks and campaign contributions, but if investigators are looking at any activity prior to 2007, they could run into a problem: The documents underlying those earmarks may have been destroyed.
DOJ Says Murtha Earmark Money Was Illicitly Distributed
July 9, 2009
A contracting firm that had hired the brother of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) as its lobbyist took the proceeds from a Murtha-provided, $8.2 million Air Force earmark and distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to other companies represented by the Congressman’s brother for items that were not part of the project, the Justice Department charged Thursday.
Murtha-Linked Firm Charged
July 8, 2009
The Justice Department this week filed criminal charges against a defense contractor who has received millions of dollars worth of earmarks from Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), bringing together two parallel cases that are swirling around a host of firms with ties to the Congressman.
Murtha Earmarks Funded Garment Company’s Sonar Project
July 7, 2009
For the past several years, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) has funneled more than $3 million in earmarks to a company in his district to build an underwater “swimmer detection” sonar system for the Navy to use to protect its docks and ships.
Earmark Recipients Filled Dicks’ Coffers
June 17, 2009
Last year, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) secured five defense earmarks for private companies in his hometown of Bremerton, Wash., worth a total of $10 million. Four of the companies shared something in common — they were all represented by the PMA Group, the now- defunct lobbying firm that has spurred an investigation of earmarks by the House ethics committee.
Ethics Panel Confirms Investigation of PMA Group
June 11, 2009
The House ethics committee is investigating the PMA Group and its ties to lawmakers, the panel confirmed Thursday.
PMA’s Snowball Effect
June 4, 2009
Two veteran House Democrats could face more complicated bids for re-election next year, depending on the outcome of a federal investigation into PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm.
Democrats Look to Neutralize GOP Ethics Attacks
June 4, 2009
House Democrats on Wednesday tried to neutralize a months-long Republican attack on senior Democratic appropriators’ ties to the now-defunct lobbying firm PMA Group by calling on the ethics committee to disclose whether it is investigating the matter.
Murtha Apparently Moved Earmark Between Brother’s Clients
June 3, 2009
In early 2005, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) apparently added language to a tsunami relief bill shifting $8.2 million from a former client of his brother’s lobbying firm to a new client of the same firm.
Visclosky’s Top Aide Resigns
June 2, 2009
Chuck Brimmer has resigned as chief of staff to Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) after being served with a subpoena as part of the federal grand jury probe of the PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm.
Visclosky Gives Up Control of Appropriations Bill
June 2, 2009
Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) is handing off control of the energy and water spending bill as he confronts a federal investigation into his ties to a now-defunct lobbying firm.
Hurdles Confront Visclosky Probe
June 2, 2009
Federal investigators examining Rep. Peter Visclosky’s (D-Ind.) ties to a now-defunct lobbying firm could face constitutional hurdles if they hope to examine how earmarks were doled out to the firm’s clients.
Visclosky’s Offices and Employees Subpoenaed in Federal Probe
May 29, 2009
Federal investigators have subpoenaed Rep. Peter Visclosky’s (D-Ind.) offices and certain employees as part of a grand jury probe of the lawmaker’s ties to a now-defunct lobbying firm, the lawmaker said in a statement Friday.
House Rejects Bid to Strip Murtha Airport Funds
May 21, 2009
Hoping to head into the Memorial Day recess with a bang, House Republicans used a procedural motion on Thursday afternoon to try to block funding for a little-used airport named after Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who continues to be plagued by ethics troubles.
Argon Talks to Feds
May 14, 2009
At the request of the federal government, a Virginia-based defense contractor with close ties to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) is providing information for a criminal investigation in Florida surrounding allegations that three men skimmed money from earmarks, according to sources familiar with the case.
Flake Offers Democrats a Deal on PMA Resolutions
May 6, 2009
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is renewing his challenge to House Democrats to confront the ongoing scandal surrounding the PMA Group, the now-defunct lobbying firm with close ties to senior appropriators.
Boehner Wants Ethics Panel to Look Into PMA
April 30, 2009
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called reports about the little-used airport named after Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) “appalling” and said the ethics committee should look at the relationship between defunct lobbying firm PMA Group and key lawmakers at his weekly press conference Thursday morning.
Florida Case Involves Firms Close to Murtha
April 30, 2009
A federal court in Florida is scheduled to begin a criminal trial next month featuring an intriguing cast of characters, with multiple links to the PMA Group and other entities in the orbit of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) that are under investigation by the FBI. Neither Murtha nor PMA is mentioned in the Florida case.
Democratic Freshmen Told PMA Resolution Could Incite Ethics Witch Hunt
April 29, 2009
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday brought her quiet push to contain the fallout from the unfolding PMA Group scandal to a critical front: her own freshmen.
Watchdog Groups Want Ethics Panel Probe of PMA Ties
April 25, 2009
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.
Democrats Confront PMA Scandal
April 15, 2009
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.
PMA’s End Is Near, But Firm Keeps Suing
March 23, 2009
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.
Flake Files Fourth Resolution Targeting PMA
March 17, 2009
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.
PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties
March 17, 2009
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.
Flake Strikes Out on Earmark Resolution
March 10, 2009
For the third time in as many weeks, House lawmakers rejected Tuesday a resolution demanding an ethics committee investigation targeting the PMA Group, a defense lobbying firm whose robust campaign contributions appear to be at the center of a federal probe.
Flake Goes After PMA, Hopes Third Time Is a Charm
March 6, 2009
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Friday filed his third resolution targeting the PMA Group, a defense lobbying firm whose hefty campaign contributions are apparently the focus of a federal criminal probe.
House Tables Proposed Probe of PMA Group
March 5, 2009
House lawmakers on Thursday tabled a resolution calling for an ethics probe into PMA Group, the defense lobbying firm under criminal investigation for spending millions of dollars in campaign contributions in exchange for earmarks.
PMA Earmarks Survive
March 5, 2009
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.
Flake Files New Resolution Calling for PMA Ethics Investigation
March 3, 2009
A week after the House shot down Rep. Jeff Flake’s resolution calling for an ethics committee investigation of the connection between earmarks and campaign contributions, the Arizona Republican was back on the floor Tuesday afternoon offering a narrower resolution that would focus only on earmarks for the clients of the PMA Group lobbying firm.
Reid Opposes Move to Strip Earmarks
March 3, 2009
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.
Coburn Targets PMA Earmarks
March 2, 2009
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.
House Blocks Flake’s Earmark Investigation
The House curtailed Rep. Jeff Flake’s (R-Ariz.) attempt Wednesday to force an ethics investigation into the rel
PMA’s Contributions Are Proving Difficult to Track
February 23, 2009
Tracking Federal Election Commission records of campaign donations attributed to the PMA Group is a comedy of errors, misinformation and mysteries, making it difficult to determine exactly how much money people affiliated with the firm have donated to campaigns.
Members Eye Refunds Over Probes
February 23, 2009
Dozens of House and Senate lawmakers are contemplating whether to purge their campaign accounts of as much as a combined $5 million in contributions, as federal investigators pursue separate probes of two major donors.
Mica to Return His PMA Contributions
February 19, 2009
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) plans to dump $2,000 in campaign cash from sources affiliated with the PMA Group, becoming the first Republican to return donations from the heavily Democratic lobbying shop at the center of a federal probe.
PMA to Cease Operations on March 31
February 19, 2009
The PMA Group plans to cease its lobbying activities on March 31, according to three sources with knowledge of the firm.
Lofgren to Give Back All PMA Donations
February 17, 2009
In the wake of a federal raid of a Virginia lobbying firm that has doled out millions of dollars in campaign contributions to lawmakers, questions about the relationships between Members and the PMA Group could land before the House ethics committee — where Federal Election Commission records show five of 10 panel members have themselves received donations.
PMA’s Directors Became Big Donors
February 13, 2009
In 2006, the PMA Group, a powerhouse Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, added to its board of directors two Floridians who were not lobbyists and apparently had no connection to politics, but who became prodigious donors to the firm’s favored Members of Congress.
Feds Treading Close to Murtha
February 11, 2009
With the recent raids on a Virginia lobbying firm and Pennsylvania contractors with close ties to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), federal agents appear to be circling the powerful defense spending chief.
PMA Group Sees Major Defections
February 11, 2009
The PMA Group, a 20-year fixture of the Washington, D.C., lobbying scene, suffered a potentially fatal blow this week, with news that eight of its lobbyists had walked out the door to form their own shop and that the firm was raided in November by the FBI.
Murtha Got Payback in ’08
January 27, 2009, 1:00 A.M.
Facing a surprisingly tough re-election challenge in the closing days of his 2008 campaign, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) called on a well-established network of his earmarking beneficiaries to bail him out. And the defense industry contractors, several of whom had pulled down millions of dollars in Murtha earmarks in the 2009 defense spending bill, responded by flooding his coffers with what amounted to rescue cash.
Murtha's Cash for Students
June 9, 2008
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) has steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal and private money to a charity run by a Murtha protégé, which has as its primary mission handing out $250 checks to high school students in and around Murtha’s Congressional district.
A Lucrative Center for Visclosky, PMA
October 3, 2007
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — In a former cornfield 10 miles south of the blighted core of Gary, the once-thriving steel capital, stands an ultra-modern technology incubator that locals hope will spark an economic resurgence.
Reyes PAC Gets PMA Cash
October 1, 2007
A new political action committee created by the brother of Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) raised $50,000 this spring almost entirely from staff and clients of powerhouse lobbying shop PMA Group, and within weeks, those same donors reaped millions of dollars in earmarks from Reyes and other Members of Congress closely affiliated with PMA.
Ample Earmarks Aid PMA Clients
September 17, 2007
From their perch on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, three House Democrats have steered $100.5 million to clients of a lobbying firm that is emerging as a top source of their campaign funds.
Companies Follow Murtha's Earmark Trail
June 25, 2007
INDIANA, Pa. — In April 2004, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) celebrated the groundbreaking for a gleaming new office building here, designed around its anchor tenant, a Rockville, Md.-based technology company called Aeptec Microsystems.
Money Rolls for Approps Democrats
April 23, 2007
While Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) spent the first months of the year railing against President Bush’s troop increase for the Iraq War, he was experiencing his own surge closer to home.
Schumer Advocates for Many on Panel
Nov. 16, 12 a.m.
As Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson once said of the Joint Economic Committee, “It’s as useless as tits on a bull.” But as that panel’s chairman during the 110th Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized the opportunity to elevate the traditionally low-profile post to the forefront of shaping policy. Read Full Article
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