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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (456949)	2/16/2009 2:30:30 PM
From: one_less	1 Recommendation Respond to of 1578250

"...the Democrats' "Waterloo on ethics." ==================== Murtha-tied PAC tumbles (UPDATED) Timothy McNulty \| February 14, 2009 A PAC tied to Jack Murtha folded this week, Politico reports. See the background on the FBI's raids of Murth-tied firms here. PMA Group, the lobbying firm tied to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) that was raided by federal agents back in November, has closed its political action committee, the latest sign of the company's implosion. PMA filed a "termination report" with the Federal Election Commission Thursday, notifying the agency that it would be shutting down its PAC. The PAC refunded its last $29,423 to the contributors, including Mark Magliocchetti, brother of PMA founder Paul Magliocchetti. PMA's PAC was very recently a significant source of donations for lawmakers, especially those on the House and Senate Appropriations committees. The PMA PAC disbursed more than $378,000 last cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The WashPost has its own write-through today on troubles swirling around the Johnstown congressman: Federal investigators are focused on allegations that PMA founder Paul Magliocchetti, a former appropriations staffer close to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), may have reimbursed some of his staff to cover contributions made in their names to Murtha and other lawmakers, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. PMA has long had a reputation for securing earmarks from congressional appropriators, particularly for defense contractors, and it has donated generously to influential members of Congress. Magliocchetti personally gave $98,000 in campaign donations last year, according to campaign records. Federal election laws limit the amount of money individuals may contribute to candidates, but lobbying firms often show their clout by collecting and bundling contributions. It is illegal for employers to reimburse donors for their contributions. The Washington Post examined contributions that were reported as being made by PMA employees and consultants, and found several people who were not registered lobbyists and did not work at the lobbying firm. It is unclear whether the donors misidentified as PMA associates are part of the federal probe. TPM does a broad review of the various Murtha stories this week, and quotes a watchdog group saying this could be the Democrats' "Waterloo on ethics." So far, there's no evidence that either Murtha or Visclosky are themselves are focuses of the investigation. What this amounts to, at the moment, is a firm contributing alot of money to certain lawmakers with authority over the sphere it works in -- as well as hiring some of their former aides -- and getting earmarks from those lawmakers. That's not evidence of a quid pro quo. But it doesn't look good, especially given the president's call for a new kind of politics. And something tells us we haven't heard the last of it. community.post-gazette.com