WAPO Buries Lede: GOP House chair pushing TSA privatization while contractor is campaign donor

[kpete]

GOP House chair pushing TSA privatization while contractor is campaign donor
by John Aravosis (DC) on 12/31/2010 07:30:00 PM

In a rather astounding example of burying the lede, the Washington Post writes today about how many airports are considering using private contractors, instead of the TSA, to handle airport security. Then the Post interviews the incoming House Transportation chairman, who trashes the TSA and is pushing airports to switch to the private contractors.

Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), the incoming chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has written to 200 of the nation's largest airports, urging them to consider switching to private companies.

The TSA was "never intended to be an army of 67,000 employees," he said.

"If you look at the TSA's performance, have they ever stopped a terrorist? Anyone can get through," Mica said in an interview. "We've been very lucky, very fortunate. TSA should focus on its mission: setting up the protocol, adapting to the changing threats and gathering intelligence."

What the Post doesn't tell you, until the end of the story, is that one of the big private contractors is in the House Transportation chairman's own district.

Covenant, based in Mica's home district in northeastern coastal Florida, has airport screening contracts in Sioux Falls, S.D., Tupelo, Miss., and seven small airports in northern and eastern Montana. Its deal at San Francisco International is by far its largest. Covenant employs nearly 1,100 people in the bay area, who make up nearly all of its 1,150 workers. The last four-year contract, from 2006 to 2010, totaled $314 million. A new contract has been put out for competitive bids. Meanwhile, Covenant is operating on a two-month contract ending in February.

more:
http://www.americablog.com/2010/12/gop-house-chair-pushing-tsa.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/19/airports-consider-congressmans-ditch-tsa/

[seafan]

1. More of the foul stench wafting up from radical conservatives in Florida.

Republican John Mica (FL), soon to chair Transportation, is pushing privatization of airport groping, November 18, 2010


And looky here.... buried in a story today in the Washington Post, there's this:

Covenant, one of the large contractors that provide private airport screening services, is in John Mica's Florida voting district.

The Washington Post neglects any mention of this until very late in the article.


As John Aravosis at AmericaBlog wryly notes:

What the Post doesn't tell you, until the end of the story, is that one of the big private contractors is in the House Transportation chairman's own district.

Covenant, based in Mica's home district in northeastern coastal Florida, has airport screening contracts in Sioux Falls, S.D., Tupelo, Miss., and seven small airports in northern and eastern Montana. Its deal at San Francisco International is by far its largest. Covenant employs nearly 1,100 people in the bay area, who make up nearly all of its 1,150 workers. The last four-year contract, from 2006 to 2010, totaled $314 million. A new contract has been put out for competitive bids. Meanwhile, Covenant is operating on a two-month contract ending in February.

Um, kind of a relevant fact that deserves to be highlighted a tad earlier. Rather than a story about airports ditching TSA, you may have a story about an incoming House committee chair trying to base our entire airport counter-terror security on who donates to his campaign - oh yeah, the post didn't tell you that one either, the president of the private contractor is also a donor to incoming Chairman Mica's campaign. Too bad the Washington Post didn't bother checking:

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. The City where this guy is from, is known for some incredible cross-over

between government and the private sector. There is no real line separating the two, really.

[Ilsa]

8. Kicking for those that were recovering from hangovers this morning. nt

[gratuitous]

2. In addition, there's the flaming hypocrisy

Republicans now want to disavow their own child, the TSA. Tsk, tsk.

[DCKit]

3. Yeah, 'cause we didn't already know Mica was a scumbag. Shocking. Really. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Mica is playing his card. This shows a major lack of ethics, which would

normally go unnoticed in his district because it is corrupt, corrupt, corrupt.

[Ilsa]

6. Big kick for the 2011 crowd.

This information needs to be in everyone's arsenal.

Maybe private contractors could do the screening better, but I doubt it. I suspect it is a way to turn decent-paying jobs into minimum wage jobs and continue the harassment of the flying public.

Furthermore, I don't want private contractors enforcing the rules on screening any more than I want the TSA making arrests. I can't help but wonder if the private contractors would create their own police as part of the package.

[Mojeoux]

7. K and R

[Nancy Waterman]

9. Good catch!

The Washington Post is getting worse by the day. They bury important stories and put garbage on the front page, with big photos about nothing. Did anyone notice there was NO front page coverage of DADT being ended, and almost no coverage within the paper on it at all. I was really furious. Meant to post it here but then got distracted.