As if things weren't bad enough for House Democrats, what with the defections from Obamacare and the growing pressure on Speaker Pelosi to investigate Charlie Rangel's tax inconsistencies, Now, it looks like the Mother of All Ethics investigations is coming and, this time, the House leadership might not be able to turn it aside.
Nearly half the members of a powerful House subcommittee in control of Pentagon spending are under scrutiny by ethics investigators in Congress, who have trained their lens on the relationships between seven members and an influential lobbying firm founded by a former Capitol Hill aide.
The investigations by two separate ethics offices include an examination of the powerful subcommittee chairman, John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), as well as others who helped steer federal funds to clients of the PMA Group. The lawmakers received campaign contributions from the firm and its clients. A document obtained by The Washington Post shows that the members under scrutiny also include Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) , C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.).
This investigation has been a long time coming. Murtha, Visclosky, Moran were connected to the criminal investigation of the PMA Group back in February, when the story first got widespread news coverage. Since then, we've learned that the Ethics Committee was investigating members' connections with the group, and especially the potential of trading pork projects for campaign donations. Murtha has successfully applied the Five Ds of Dodgeball all year to escape serious media scrutiny, but it looks like he may just need Patches O'Houlihan to dodge this one.
I can only hope that if there is such a thing as karma, it bites down
so hard on Murtha that not even the Jaws of Life animated by the spirit
of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter can break its grip.