NYT: Special Projects by Congressman (Mollohan, D., WV) Draw Complaints

[DeepModem Mom]

Special Projects by Congressman Draw Complaints
By JODI RUDOREN
Published: April 8, 2006

As lawmakers have increasingly slipped pet projects into federal spending bills over the past decade, one lawmaker has used his powerful perch on the House Appropriations Committee to funnel $250 million into five nonprofit organizations that he set up.

Those actions have prompted a complaint to federal prosecutors that questions whether any of that taxpayer money helped fuel a parallel growth in his personal fortune.

The most ambitious effort by the congressman, Alan B. Mollohan, is a glistening glass-and-steel structure with a swimming pool, sauna and spa rising in a former cow pasture in Fairmont, W.Va., thanks to $103 million of taxpayer money he garnered through special spending allocations known as earmarks....

***

The conservative National Legal and Policy Center in Falls Church, Va., filed a 500-page complaint with the United States attorney for the District of Columbia on Feb. 28 challenging the accuracy of Mr. Mollohan's financial disclosure forms. The forms show a sharp spike in assets and income from rental properties from 2000 to 2004.

Federal authorities said yesterday that they were reviewing the complaint, which was reported in The Wall Street Journal. The case has led several Republican leaders to call for Mr. Mollohan's removal from the House ethics committee, where he is the senior Democrat....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/washington/08earmarks.html?ei=5094&en=62a664282857da8b&hp=&ex=1144468800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all

[Ignacio Upton]

1. "Democrats are corrupt too!"

Watch Wolf and Tweety equate this to Abramoff and say that both parties are equally crooked.

[Terran1212]

9. Dems are slightly less crooked imo

[Ignacio Upton]

10. Granted we're not 100% clean

But I'll be damned if people are misled into thinking that ONE Congressman's actions can equal the widespread institutional corruption of Tom DeLay, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham, etc. We don't even know what's going on with Mohollon, but if he really did do something unethical, then we should throw him out of our caucus.

[Tanuki]

2. consider the source

The author, Jodi Rudoren, changed her name from Jodi Wilgoren. As Wilgoren, she was regarded as a right-wing shill who was routinely skewered in the blogs for her negative coverage of Howard Dean in the 2004 campaign. You can run but you can't hide (behind your new alias), Jodi.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I didn't know that! Thanks. nt

[oasis]

6. Expose the agenda of right wing shills like Jodi Rudoren/Wilgoren. The

public has the right to know.

Thanks for the headsup, Tanuki. :hi:

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. WHEN we take back Congress this year

be sure to put that little piggie in some non-functioning committee as a junior member.

[Ignacio Upton]

5. Well let's see if the allegations are true

The right will be pulling all sorts of shit against our Congressmen and Senators this election.

[lumpy]

7. Sounds like Mollohan is feathering his

nest. Dems are not exempt from bowing down to temptation.

[Ignacio Upton]

8. Bumping this thread up!

We need to know what is going on, and whether this is a smear.:kick: