Katrina's big contracts go to companies in political loop

[highplainsdem]

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1129744748320571.xml&storylist=louisiana

Katrina's big contracts go to companies in political loop
10/19/2005, 12:50 p.m. CT
By HOPE YEN
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Hurricane Katrina struck, Ashbritt Inc. was well-positioned to take advantage of the torrent of government dollars that followed.

The Pompano Beach, Fla., firm had spent years cultivating its relationship with the federal government, contributing tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party and, more recently, hiring a powerful firm to lobby the Army Corps of Engineers on "disaster mitigation."

After Katrina hit, Ashbritt was given the largest award to date — a deal worth up to $1.1 billion from the Corps for debris removal.

It is a story of government ties that is repeated time and again for the winners of the 10 largest Katrina contracts, according to an Associated Press review. At least four of those contracts are now being reviewed for possible waste and abuse.

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