Dems Help Bury Committee Report on Duke's Doings

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http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003686.php

Dems Help Bury Committee Report on Duke's Doings
By Paul Kiel - July 16, 2007, 10:30 AM

Through his seat on the House intelligence committee from 2001 through 2006, ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) was able to funnel between $70 and $80 million in taxpayer dollars to his favored contractors. And it didn't matter that both Mitch Wade, who's pled guilty to bribing Cunningham, and Brent Wilkes, who's been indicted for bribing him, didn't have much in the way of qualifications. That's because Cunningham's colleagues on the committee stayed mum as Cunningham funneled project after bogus project to them.

Cunningham's doings were no secret. At one point, a committee aide even sent out a staff e-mail about one of Wade's program, saying, "HOOAH! Another $5 million of taxpayer money wasted."

Members of the committee are still trying to keep the sham quiet, reports The Los Angeles Times.

After the committee completed a report on how Cunningham abused his seat last year, the Republican leadership blocked its release, though ranking member Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) was able to disseminate a five-page summary of the findings last October.

Now the Democrats are in power. But the committee's chair Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) has decided not to publicly release the full 23-page declassified version. Not to worry, he says, "The important thing is that the committee took the review seriously and incorporated changes."

Lawmakers have plenty of motivation to keep the review quiet, the Times, which obtained a copy, reports:

Staffers said that Cunningham seemed more focused on who was getting the money than on the merits of the underlying projects, and that they were disturbed by his close ties with contractors who seemed unqualified for the projects they had won.

Aides said they acceded to Cunningham's demands "to keep him from going nuclear or ballistic" and because they considered him an influential member of the House Appropriations Committee who might retaliate by blocking intelligence committee funding priorities.

Current and former intelligence committee officials said staffers facing such pressure would almost certainly call the issue to the attention of their elected bosses....

"They are so nervous about this report being out," said one congressional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Members oppose putting this thing out because you read this and the natural question is: 'Did you know this, and what did you do about it?' I don't think any members wanted that scrutiny."