Cunningham Says He Rents CEO's Yacht

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

SAN DIEGO — Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-San Diego) promised Thursday to produce financial records to prove that he has done nothing inappropriate by living aboard a yacht owned by the executive of a defense firm that he has supported in its bid to win government contracts.

Though declining to be interviewed, Cunningham issued a statement from his Washington office: "I am putting information and records together so that you will know how much I pay to stay there and you will see that everything we've done is appropriate."

The statement was issued in response to a story in the North County Times, a newspaper in Cunningham's district, reporting that Cunningham lives aboard a yacht owned by Mitchell J. Wade, president and chief executive of MZM Inc., while in Washington.

The 42-foot yacht is docked at a yacht club on the Potomac River at a boat slip rented by Cunningham. His own boat is being repaired.

Cunningham's real estate dealings with Wade have become a matter of contention along partisan lines. Wade bought Cunningham's home in the upscale Del Mar Heights section of San Diego in November 2003 for $1,675,000.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-duke17jun17,1,1550949.story?coll=la-headlines-california

[maddezmom]

1. slimeball

I'm sure he has either hard copies of can get copies of the checks for rent through his bank. What's with the "putting together" bullshit! :mad:

[UpInArms]

3. barrels of ink are getting harder to come by .... eom

[Richard Steele]

25. And the street value of old, blank 'day-planners' is on the rise!

[Jackpine Radical]

33. They're fixing the intelligence.

[MindPilot]

2. "everything we've done is appropriate"

no it's not. Cunning-ham is having business relations with that man. It doesn't matter if all the transactions were above board or not, it is still conflict of interest.

[habitual]

4. Appropriate for a CRIMINAL

Indeed i will accept his answer in light of that perspective. EVERYTHING he has done is appropriate in that view. THIEF and LIAR.

[pscot]

5. Poor Randy is just tragically misunderstood

I mean c'mon. Even a Congressman has got to live somewhere while his own yacht is being repaired. You can't expect him to just live under a rock.

[northzax]

6. Hey Duke, I got something for you

[Bozita]

7. He didn't comment on the very shady home sale to his landlord

And I'll bet that he won't ever comment unless forced.

[Rose Siding]

8. There's an appearance of impropriety, either way

That someone in his position would be making personal choices that require RECORDS that have to be "put together" to prove they aren't on the pad is UNETHICAL.

[Beetwasher]

9. "Coincidentally" The Yacht is Named "DUKE STIR"!!!

And is "owned" by the same defense contract who bought "Duke's" home for $700K more than it was worth, and to whom Duke is doling out tens of millions in defense contracts. What coincidence! :eyes:

Renting, indeed.

[habitual]

11. Coincidentally? The nerve!

COINCIDENTALLY? This is almost funny if it weren't so angering.

Edited to add link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601313.html

[Beetwasher]

12. Yeah, You'd Think They'd Be A Bit More Circumspect When Naming The Yacht

Why don't they just name it "Bribery"?

Welcome to DU!

[realFedUp]

10. Again, this story is on page 5, inside the California section

That few read, except to flip to the opinion section.
And do you hear the local media talking about
Duke at all?

[AlCzervik]

13. What a dirtbag! This didn't even make into my paper today

this story couple with other should eb enough to send him packing. I posted the first story here.
http://wicked-stupid.blogspot.com/2005/06/looks-like-kickback-smells-like.html

[BentleyJD]

14. Bullshit.......

Yep, and I'm the next Ludwig Van Beethoven working on Symphony No.5

tony and dietrich

[maddezmom]

15. CREW Urges Ethics Committee Investigation and Congressional Member to File

To: National and City Desks


Contact: Naomi Seligman of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 202-588-5565


WASHINGTON, June 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called for a Member of Congress to file a complaint with the House Ethics Committee requesting an investigation into San Diego Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham's (R-Calif.) relationship with defense contractor Mitchell Wade and Wade's firm MZM, Inc.


First, it was discovered that Cunningham sold his house at a vastly inflated value to Wade. Next came the revelation that, in Washington, Cunningham is living aboard a 42-foot yacht, named the "Duke Stir," owned by Wade. This was followed by news reports that Cunningham has supported Wade and MZM in efforts to win Pentagon contracts, that MZM and Wade have donated at least $20,000 to political action committees associated with Cunningham, and that Cunningham is involved with charities that have ties to MZM.


In addition, CREW has now discovered that despite apparently lobbying both Rep. Cunningham and Rep. Virgil Goode (news, bio, voting record) (R-Va.) extensively (and very successfully) for years, MZM never filed a Lobbying Disclosure Act registration statement. The Charles Group, however, registered to lobby on MZM's behalf on Feb. 5, 2005. "All of this makes it imperative for the House Ethics Committee to begin an investigation into Cunningham's conduct," Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today.

~snip~
more:http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20050617/pl_usnw/crew_urges_ethics_committee_investigation_and_congressional_member_to_file_complaint132_xml

[Jacobin]

16. Here's the registration info on the yacht

Coast Guard Vessel Documentation
You asked for a vessel with a name like "DUKE STIR". That selection resulted in 1 matches.

(1 of 1) Vessel Name: DUKE STIR USCG Doc. No.: 929360
Vessel Service: RECREATIONAL IMO Number: *
Trade Indicator: Recreational Call Sign: *
Hull Material: FRP (FIBERGLASS) Hull Number: CDRCA041A787
Shipyard
and Address: CARVER BOAT CORPORATION
* Year Built: 1987
Hullyard
and Address: *
PULASKI WI Length (ft.): 42.2
Hailing Port: WASHINGTON Hull Depth (ft.): 8
Owner: MITCHELL J WADE
2412 TRACY PLACE NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20008 Hull Breadth (ft.): 15
Gross Tonnage: 34
Net Tonnage: 27
Documentation Issuance Date: December 07, 2004 Documentation Expiration Date: January 31, 2006

Previous Vessel Names: BOUY TOY
ANTARES
FOWL PLAY
Previous Vessel Owners: SCOTT F SCHRAMM
WILLIAM F G DODD
ERNEST W RAMSEY

They didn't even try to hide it!!!!

:rofl:
http://www.st.nmfs.gov/pls/webpls/cgv_pkg.vessel_name_list

[Debi]

17. He couldn't find anywhere else to stay? n/t

[maddezmom]

18. not for free

:)

[Debi]

19. No, No, you are mistaken....he was renting it....

I wonder if the 'rent' equals the $$ contributed to his campaigns? Or if the 'rent' equals the rent others pay on similar vessels :think:

[maddezmom]

20. exactly Wade was renting Duke

:D

[Debi]

28. *snark*

Another one bites the dust :woohoo:

[DemoTex]

21. Typical arrogant fighter pilot.

I tried to talk to him at a party in DC a few years ago. When he found out that I was a lowly P-2V driver he turned around and walked off. However, Cunningham's record as a Navy F-4 "Ace" in Vietnam is an eye-popper. Unlike Bu$h, Cunningham is a real fighter pilot; and unlike McCain, Cunningham didn't get his ass shot down over North Vietnam (Cunningham did have to punch out of a battle-damaged F-4, but he was rescued from the South China Sea). But he is still a dick.

[oneighty]

22. Oh boy

A private place. Away from prying eyes. Lot a chicks hang around marinas where the rich guys are.

180

[cascadiance]

23. Cunningham's trying to get this from Tom Delay...

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/061505/delay.html

[nikraye]

24. Real estate fraud...yacht scandal...now HRC's Birch "outs" Duke as gay

From another DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3885177

Poor Duke...that yacht he's sitting on is sinking awfully fast.

[Richard Steele]

27. Waddaya expect when the boat's previous name was "Bouy Toy"?

"Hey Duke: TOO SUBTLE!"

[Shallah Kali]

30. Does the GOP deliberately recruit anti-gay gay? They have so many

I would expect it would give them a wonderful hold on a politician - do what we want or we out you loosing all your power and prestige.

[slay]

26. He should wear a sign around his neck - Republican for sale!

Republicans are the most greedy, corrupt bastards I've ever seen. They make the mob look like amateurs.

[maddezmom]

29. Demonstrators march in front of Cunningham's Rancho Santa Fe house

By Karen Kucher and Greg Magnus
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

1:49 p.m. June 17, 2005



KAREN KUCHER
Mike Byron of Oceanside (left) and Barb Parcells of Rancho Bernardo hold signs critical of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham during the demonstration.
RANCHO SANTA FE – About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's gated driveway Friday to protest his real-estate dealings with a defense contractor that they dubbed "Mansiongate."

The group chanted slogans and waved homemade signs that accused Cunningham of profiting from the war in Iraq and claiming his vote was for sale. They asked for Cunningham to disclose his financial transactions involving the defense contractor, MZM Inc., and some called for his ouster.

Many of the demonstrators linked their concerns about Cunningham's transaction with a defense contractor to the war in Iraq. Rodney Galloway of Ramona said he attended the noontime rally because he supports pulling the troops out of Iraq and to protest Cunningham's conduct.

"When I saw the news, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous he did something like that," Galloway said. "It is just an indication of how corrupt our politicians are."

~snip~
more: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050617-1349-bn17protest.html

[maveric]

31. Cunningham and his congressional warmongering buddy Duncan Hunter

Have been taking kick-backs from San Diego defense contractors for decades.
They profit from war.

[cascadiance]

32. When we kick these two bums out on their rear in 2006...

and have Donna Frye in as mayor soon, San Diego will be well on it's way to be rescued into Blue territory, and I'll be pleased as hell! We just need to dig up some newer and more verifiable dirt on that car thief/arsonist Darrell Issa to get rid of him too! Need to make him pay for getting Arnold in our hair now!

[jmowreader]

34. What is he doing, slumming?

This is a 42-foot Carver. These things are NOT huge when you're talking about living aboard one. There's more room in an extended-stay hotel suite.

Yeah, it's a yacht and it belongs to his biggest campaign contributor...but in reality once you get past the "yacht" panache this is equivalent to living in a van down by the river.

OTOH, I hope this finally nails him good. Is there a Repug who's not conflicted?