Whistle Blower emerges in growing Defense Contractor ScandalThe Washington Post revealed yesterday that "nearly half" of the members of the powerful House committee on Defense Appropriations are now under investigation for ethics violations by two entities; the HEC (House Ethics Comm.) and the Office of Congressional Ethics. The list of those receiving scrutiny, include some familiar Democrat power icons in the House: John Murtha (PA), Pete Visclosky (OH), Nancy Kaptur (OH), Norm Dicks (WA), and Jim Moran (VA).
Ironically, HEC Chair Zoe Lofgren was forced to go to the House floor on Thursday and reveal that the names had been leaked. Apparently, a low-level HEC staffer had downloaded the list to his own PC not realizing that the software could be copied. Conflicting reports suggest that another individual may have either leaked the info to WaPo or to an internet site.
But amid all the hub bub of the growing PMA scandal, an interesting side story has arisen. Seems that one relatively obscure Republican Congressman, scoffed at Defense Lobbyist demands, and may ultimately emerge as a genuine Hero.
From WaPo:
The document also indicates that the House ethics committee's staff recently interviewed the staff of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) about his allegation that a PMA lobbyist threatened him in 2007 when he resisted steering federal funds to a PMA client. The lobbyist told a Nunes staffer that if the lawmaker didn't help, the defense contractor would move out of Nunes's district and take dozens of jobs with him.
Writes Jonathan Allen at Politico this morning:Democrats are clearly nervous over the growing ethics drumbeat.Nunes alreadly a local Hero on another front
While relatively obscure on a national level, Rep. Nunes has become a bit of a folk hero locally in his Central California district. It is Nunes who has been leading the charge to "turn on the water," for mostly Hispanic farmers under severe water restrictions by the EPA and State regulators. Environmentalists have been seeking to save the "delta smelt" minnow who they claim would be endangered if the spigots were to be turned on.
Writes Nunes on his Congressional blog:
Why are Democrats blocking any effort to bring swift relief to our region? Just listen to their statements on the House Floor and it becomes clear that they are proxies for the radical environmental movementThe Congressman's District runs along historic State Route 99 in the heart of the Central Valley, and includes parts of Fresno, Clovis, Tulare, and Clovis.
Note - the Congressman offers a free ebook download for his report titled "Distorted Water," at his congressional website.
3 comments:
From Charles
Maybe Nunes will run in 2012. Or better yet he should go as VP, because he would be a pretty good pick. He's young, a minority, and very conservative. He'd ultimately be a very good VP pick. Assuming that the presidential nominee would be a governor like Huckabee, Pawlenty, or Romney.
You're on to something there. This may be the very first mention of him anywheres as a potential candidate for national office.
From Charles
Eric:
Well just think about it like this. People hate Romney,Gingrich has problems,Pawlenty is a nobody who sets his goals to high,Palin lets face it is done, Sandford screwed himself,Pauls to old, Jindal is boring, Patreaus doesn't want to run,Grahams a liberal, and don't get me started with Steele running. Nunes is extremely conservative, very young, from a minority, he's the reality Mr. Smith goes to Washington, and he he's pretty experienced. I think he's make a good president and get the Spanish vote. I like him a lot and I think he's a smart man. If he can go to obama and tell him to turn the water on. He'll be seen as a hero by the farmers of California and the rest of the country will follow him. I don't think he has the money or the name right now to get a good run going. Yet VP seems like the most likely scenario. Overall I feel him and Huckabee would make a good team.
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