NYT-Specter Denies Funneling Money for Lobbyist

[stop the bleeding]

I hope this isn't a dupe, I checked the threads and did not see it yet.

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: February 17, 2006

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 — Senator Arlen Specter defended himself and a member of his staff on Thursday after the disclosure that clients of a lobbyist married to the staff member had received money through the senator's actions.

Vicki Siegel Herson, who until recently was Mr. Specter's legislative assistant on the Appropriations Committee, is married to Michael Herson, a top executive of the lobbying firm American Defense International.

Mr. Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and his staff confirmed that six of Mr. Herson's clients received a total of about $50 million over the last four years through items Mr. Specter inserted into military appropriations bills in a process known as "earmarking." The earmarks were first reported Thursday in USA Today.

In a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon, Mr. Specter said that neither he nor his aide, who uses her maiden name professionally, had violated any ethics rules.



read rest at link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/politics/17specter.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[Kablooie]

1. Here we go. Rove has started his blackmail attacks.

Say goodbye to anyone who supports American democracy.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Specter denies wrongdoing, seeks ethics investigation

Posted on Thu, Feb. 16, 2006
Specter denies wrongdoing, seeks ethics investigation
BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - Sen. Arlen Specter said Thursday that he would ask the Senate ethics committee to investigate whether any rules were violated when he directed almost $50 million to companies and institutions that employed the husband of one of his top aides as a lobbyist.

Specter, R-Pa., told reporters that he did not believe that he or anyone in his office had done anything wrong. He acknowledged that he had not sorted out all the actions of his aide in the approval of the spending.

His office later issued a statement saying the senator was asking for the ethics investigation "to satisfy all conceivable concern."
His comments came in response to a USA Today article Thursday reporting that companies employing lobbyist Michael Herson - the husband of a senior Specter aide - had been the recipients of $48.9 million in funding "earmarked" by Specter.

Specter used earmarking 13 times in the last three years to allocate funds to clients of Herson's firm, American Defense International, the newspaper reported.
(snip/...)

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/13892302.htm

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Republicans have been hard at work burying Democrats so long it leaves a person bewildered when they start going after their own!
Rather interesting.

[loudsue]

3. He's merely doing what ALL republicans do....why should anyone notice?

They all funnel money to their cronies. In fact, I think it's a republican law that they HAVE TO, or they're a threat to the other republicans.

:kick::kick::kick:

[stop the bleeding]

4. kicking -

cause Stephanie Miller is talking about this - so it must be news