Ridge close to lobbying firm's chairman

[Califooyah Operative]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the Homeland Security Department was starting up, Secretary Tom Ridge twice stayed overnight at the Arizona home of a wealthy friend who ran a lobbying firm that was aggressively expanding its homeland security business.
....
The Blank Rome firm, whose chairman is former Ridge fund-raiser David Girard-diCarlo, hired two of Ridge's aides to lobby the new department, and some of the firm's clients eventually landed lucrative contracts, according to documents and interviews.
.....
Ridge and Girard-diCarlo worked together in Pennsylvania to raise more than $400,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaign in 1999 and 2000. Before that, Girard-diCarlo helped Ridge raise money as Pennsylvania governor.
.....
"This relationship does raise questions about the integrity of the government's process for awarding contracts," said Robert Tuttle, a law professor at George Washington University.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/12/ridge.lobbyists.ap/index.html

[BrainRants]

1. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

And how soon before he becomes an employee now that he's unemployed?

Perhaps he could come up with a color coded alert system for Blank Rome to alert its board when Shrub has a no-bid contract sitting on his desk?

[No Mandate Here.]

2. Another article lists the firms that lobbied the DHS

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_RIDGE_LOBBYING_LIST_PAOL-?SITE=PAPIT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=home.htm

He could end up working for any one of them, as well...

<snip>

Lobbying firm run by Ridge's former fund-raiser built long list of homeland security clients


By The Associated Press

The firm of Blank Rome, run by a longtime friend of Tom Ridge, lobbied the Homeland Security Department on behalf of the following list of clients, according to reports the firm filed with Congress. The list reflects the times that Blank Rome said in the reports it started representing each client. Office locations are from the lobbying registrations filed with Congress.

2001

Mobility Technologies, Wayne, Pa.

2002:

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Raytheon Co., Arlington, Va.

Avue Technologies Corp., Tacoma, Wash.

2003

Alutiiq Management Services of Anchorage, Alaska.

Business Software Alliance, Washington.

SAP Public Services, software, Newtown Square, Pa.

Destiny USA, Syracuse, N.Y.

Triangle Life Sciences, Research Triangle Park, N.C.

20/20 GeneSystems Inc., Rockville, Md.

Rajant Corp., Wayne, Pa.

Facticon Inc., Chadds Ford, Pa.

Intrado, Longmont, Colo.

TranScore, Vienna, Va.

Navigant Consulting, Pittsburgh.

Public Intelligence, Pittsburgh.

Boeing, Arlington, Va.

Diversified Information Technologies Inc., Scranton, Pa.

BearingPoint Inc., McLean, Va.

Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse, Pittsburgh.

URS Corp., New York City

Fisher Scientific Co., Pittsburgh.

Ionatron, Tucson, Ariz.

ADH Health Products. Congers, N.Y.

MasTec Inc., Fort Myers, Fla.

Advanced Programs, Columbia, Md.

Aerials Express, Tempe, Ariz.

Homeland Security Corp., Nashville, Tenn.

Alisos Institute, Santa Barbara, Calif.

iXP Corp., Lawrenceville, N.J.

2004

Silicon Graphics, Silver Spring, Md.,

Cushman & Wakefield, New York City

SITA Inc., information technology provider, Arlington, Va.

Cape & Islands H2B Visa Coalition

[snippy]

3. I am shocked, shocked to find corruption in the Bush administration.

Where are my winnings?