TPM: Wanna know what repub was on Shirlington Limo board of directors?

[caligirl]

Yeah, that 21 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT has a big history. Rounding up hookers for congressmen has its roots deep in Republican hands. Chris Baker is the head honcho at the limo company Wilkes used for Cunningham, etc.

Thank you Josh Marshall once again."It's really such a small world over at Shirlington Limousine." "Anyway, Chris Baker was clearly Wilkes' go-to guy for the 'hospitality suites'"

"But just how is that Wilkes got hooked up with Chris Baker? And how'd Baker get so wired?

Well, this evening we got a hold of Shirlington's annual reports filed with the Commonwealth of Virginia State Corporation Commission. And, surprisingly enough, for the first several years Baker's company was in operation -- specifically from 1995 through 1999 -- one of the company's directors was a guy with a San Diego address.

He was Jerome Foster.

What was also weird is that, like Wilkes, Foster was a defense contractor. Foster's Pentech had some sort of energy management technology and they had contracts with the navy, various governmental jurisdictions and even private sector companies.

Now, here's where it gets sort of odd. If you've followed the Wilkes story, you know that the guy who taught Wilkes how Washington works and has been in the mix with him every since is former Rep. Bill Lowery (R-CA). Wilkes first spent quality time with Lowery back in the 1980s when one of Wilkes' jobs was to take Lowery on trips down to Central America to hang with Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and the Contras.

Good fun like that can't last forever, of course. And in 1992 Lowery lost his seat to freshman Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham after the two San Diego reps were pushed into the same district and had to run against each other.

Out of work, Lowery decided to become a lobbyist. Here's a piece from the Union-Tribune about Wilkes and Lowery and here's another about Lowery's sweet arrangement with nearby Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA). As Donald Trump might say, they've made a lot of money together.

Not surprisingly, after Lowery set up his lobbying firm Copeland Lowery & Jacquez, Wilkes hired him to lobby for his company ACDS. Between 1998 and 2002, Wilkes paid Lowery's outfit some $200,000.

Anyway, strange as it may seem, another one of Lowery's clients was none other than Jerome Foster's Pentech.

All told, I'd say that means that Chris Baker's limousine company was really popular with businessmen from San Diego looking to haul down federal defense contracts. Baker was Brent Wilkes', shall we say, procurement officer, when it came to saucing up and getting women for members of Congress Wilkes wanted earmarks from. Another San Diego contractor, Foster, was a director of Baker's limo company. And both contractors, in turn, were clients of Bill Lowery.

Enough coincidences like that and you start to think it's not all a coincidence." http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[Lindsay]

1. Ever get the feeling

they oughta just throw all the Repugs in jail and sort 'em out after?

What a sleazy, scummy bunch.

[caligirl]

2. Let me just say if Hunter and his other repug friend deny partying

with the girls, they did. No way do i think Hunter and the others didn't taste the dessert.

[spindrifter]

3. Yeah, I'll just bet

that Pentech had expertise managing "energy."

[caligirl]

4. ATP comes in many forms!