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signonsandiego.com
Demonstrators march in front of Cunningham's Rancho Santa Fe house
By Karen Kucher and Greg Magnus
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
Mike Byron of Oceanside (left) and Barb Parcells of Rancho Bernardo hold signs critical of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham during the demonstration.
RANCHO SANTA FE – About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's gated driveway Friday to protest his real-estate dealings with a defense contractor that they dubbed "Mansiongate."
The group chanted slogans and waved homemade signs that accused Cunningham of profiting from the war in Iraq and claiming his vote was for sale. They asked for Cunningham to disclose his financial transactions involving the defense contractor, MZM Inc., and some called for his ouster.
Many of the demonstrators linked their concerns about Cunningham's transaction with a defense contractor to the war in Iraq. Rodney Galloway of Ramona said he attended the noontime rally because he supports pulling the troops out of Iraq and to protest Cunningham's conduct.
From today's U-T
FBI looking at sale of Cunningham home
"When I saw the news, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous he did something like that," Galloway said. "It is just an indication of how corrupt our politicians are."
The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service revealed Sunday that the defense contractor who bought Cunningham's Del Mar house took a $700,000 loss on the purchase while Cunningham, a member of the powerful defense appropriations subcommittee, backed the contractor's ultimately successful efforts to get business from the Pentagon.
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MZM owner Mitchell Wade bought Cunningham's house for $1,675,000 inNovember 2003 and swiftly put it back on the market for about the same price. It sat on the market for almost nine months until it sold for $975,000.
It was later reported that Cunningham has been living aboard a 42-foot-yacht owned by Wade. On Friday the newspaper reported the FBI had opened an inquiry into the real estate transaction.
Cunningham used the money from the initial sale to buy the $2.55 million house in Rancho Santa Fe where protesters gathered today.
"Buy your mansion, buy your yacht, while our troops die in Iraq," was one the chants offered by the protesters.
"He sold out to defense contractors and our kids are being killed because of it," said Ramona Byron of Oceanside.
Cunningham was apparently not at home at the time. He has said he has done nothing wrong and called the transaction aboveboard. A spokesman at his Washington, D.C. office said Friday he would be making no additional comments on the issue.
The protest was organized by the North County Coalition for Peace and Justice.
Some of Cunningham's neighbors were miffed to find protesters and news crews on the quiet residential street. One woman drove by in her BMW and honked her horn repeatedly.
Another neighbor, who lives across the street from Cunningham's home, came out to chastise the group, saying she had a party starting soon and her guests would need places to park.
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