(Duncan) Hunter vigorously defends funds steered to La Jolla aerospace firm

[babylonsister]

Shades of Cunningham...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070612-1812-cnsairmark.html

Hunter vigorously defends funds steered to La Jolla aerospace firm

By Jerry Kammer and Paul M. Krawzak
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE

6:12 p.m. June 12, 2007

WASHINGTON – Rep. Duncan Hunter on Tuesday defended his role in helping steer tens of millions of dollars to a La Jolla-based aerospace firm to develop a military jet the Pentagon did not want. Hunter aggressively supported the program over decades even though the Pentagon repeatedly questioned the jet's feasibility and lambasted the contractor's work.

La Jolla-based duPont Aerospace rewarded Hunter for his support for the program since 1988 with $36,000 in campaign contributions. The Alpine Republican had been chairman of the Armed Services Committee before Democrats regained control of the House earlier this year. He currently is running for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

DuPont has long promised that the plane, the DP-2, will take off like a helicopter and provide greater speed, range, and troop-carrying capacity than the current generation of similar aircraft. For just as long, military officials have said it would never work as envisioned.

Hunter, defending his support for the program before the House Science and Technology Committee's investigations and oversight subcommittee, said the DP-2 “represents potential leap-ahead technology to support our Marines and Special Forces ... The idea around here that if the Pentagon doesn't come up with something, that if the services don't like it, you're not going to build it is ridiculous.”

Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., who chaired the hearing, noted that the DP-2 “is still not operational and has never received a positive technical review in more than 20 years. Congress appears to have permitted the DP-2 program to become a hobby, not a serious research project.”

more...

[KharmaTrain]

1. There's A Part Of The Carol Lam Firing That Hurts...

She had Jerry (Hey Lay-deeeee) Lewis in her sights and reports were there were investigators sniffing around Duncan's hinie, Bilbray and Dana Rohrbacher for having similar deals with contractors like Cunningham had. Her assistant DA took the big money to work for a GOOP lawfirm and then Lam was fired and this investigation turned cold. Hopefully the upcoming Wade trial will re-open leads into all the corruption out in Southern California.

[babylonsister]

2. Can you imagine if they bagged Hunter, Bilbray, Lewis, AND

Rohrbacher? Oh, happy day!:party:

[KharmaTrain]

4. Here's An Interesting Tidbit From Wiki...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Hunter#Cunningham.2FWilkes

In December of 2005, Hunter directed that the contributions his campaign received from Wilkes and Wade be given to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. <36> "We had options," said Bruce Young, treasurer for Hunter's re-election campaign. "We could keep the money, send it back, send it to the government or send it to a charity. We just felt that because of the situation, we would rather not have the money." <37>More than 100 members of the House and Senate – Republicans and Democrats – accepted money from ADCS Inc. owner Brent Wilkes, former MZM Inc. president Mitchell Wade, their relatives, employees or political action committees, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign watchdog group.

and there's this classic from Talking Points...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/008350.php

In case you've forgotten your scorecard at home, Brent Wilkes is the arch-briber in the Randy "Duke" Cunningham scandal. As the Wall Street Journal first reported back on April 27th, federal investigators are looking into evidence that, in addition to cash prizes, Wilkes may have also set Duke up with hookers at the parties he threw in DC. The Feds also looking into what other members of Congress and intelligence officials spent quality time at Wilkes' hoedowns. (Wilkes' was apparently throwing these parties for something like 15 years.)

This Justin Rood post from TPMmuckraker has quotes from Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Jerry Lewis (R-CA) denying that they partied with Wilkes. And here's the follow-up piece from the Journal in which the CIA concedes that Agency #3 man Dusty Foggo did party with Wilkes but didn't stick around for the hookers to show up.

Now was Mr. Lemon Chicken part of those wild card game...or ever took a cruise with his buddy, the Dukestir, in the hot tub? Hmmm.


Cheers...

:toast:

[Supersedeas]

3. Go Brad Miller Go