Former Jeb Bush Business Partner Delivered Faulty Pumps To New Orleans

[Hissyspit]

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cm/content/view/245/159/

Bush friend delivered faulty pumps to New Orleans
Wednesday, 14 March 2007

A company with close connections to the family of President George W. Bush installed faulty pumps at New Orleans levees and the Army Corps of Engineers, under pressure from the White House, ignored warnings that the pumps would fail during a storm.

The company, owned by a former business partner of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- the President's brother -- is just the latest politically-connected government contractor to deliver failed equipment or flawed services.

Reports The Associated Press:

The Army Corps of Engineers, rushing to meet President Bush's promise to protect New Orleans by the start of the 2006 hurricane season, installed defective flood-control pumps last year despite warnings from its own expert that the equipment would fail during a storm, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

- snip -

MWI is owned by J. David Eller and his sons. Eller was once a business partner of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in a venture called Bush-El that marketed MWI pumps. And Eller has donated about $128,000 to politicians, the vast majority of it to the Republican Party, since 1996, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

MWI has run into trouble before. The U.S. Justice Department sued the company in 2002, accusing it of fraudulently helping Nigeria obtain $74 million in taxpayer-backed loans for overpriced and unnecessary water-pump equipment. The case has yet to be resolved.

Because of the trouble with the New Orleans pumps, the Corps has withheld 20 percent of the MWI contract, including an incentive of up to $4 million that the company could have collected if it delivered the equipment in time for the 2006 hurricane season.

MORE

[malaise]

1. This really is cronyism gone mad

and people are dying while they make money.

[maine_raptor]

2. Nothing to see here, folks, just move along

You see under the rules of reporting "political scandal"*, it's not Eller's fault that the pumps don't work, it's his subordinate's. His Deputy Chief's made the decision to sell them those pumps. Sure mistakes were made, but Mr. Eller runs a large corporation with many workers and he can't be watching every thing that is they make. Plus, you know how the Army Corp is. Damn engineers are too lazy to come out of the rain and come up with their own pump that works. As for Jeb, why Mr. Eller just met him once, but also gave vast sums of money to Jeb's opponent too.

Mr. Eller's lawyer will be looking into the matter and will issue a report in the future. His Deputy Chief has resigned and will be leaving the building as soon as he finds another job.

Besides Clinton did the same.


* See MSM Standard Operating Procedure, Page 184, revised 1/20/01.

Heavy :sarcasm:

[bullimiami]

3. they scream and cry about programs to help the poor, the weak, the old,

the sick or any average american while they live lives of luxury and comfort off of government contracts.

And they wont even run an honest business for these contracts but cheat and defraud to maximize the profit.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Jebbie!!! You and your republicon scumbag cronies

Hang your head in shame, for you are republicons and without honor.

fatcat republicons screwing America and its citizens
to enrich themselves -- republicon cronies

[tanyev]

5. Kick.