Habitual Offenders
An article published yesterday in Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper that reports on Congress, noted that the recently passed Defense Appropriations Bill in the House contained 36 earmarks for Congressmen John Murtha (D-PA), Jim Moran (D-VA), and Peter Visclosky (D-IN) totaling over $100 million dollars. Interestingly enough, all 36 earmarks are directed at clients of a lobbying firm founded and comprised of former top aides to all three Congressmen. This lobbying firm, their employees, and their clients have all combined to raise over $542,000 this year alone for these three members of Congress, dubbed the “classic Washington iron triangle” by Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense.