{"id":308247,"date":"2010-02-11T11:50:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-11T16:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"tag:www.opensecrets.org,2010:\/news\/\/8.1368"},"modified":"2010-02-12T11:19:23","modified_gmt":"2010-02-12T16:19:23","slug":"norm-dicks-gets-defensive-another-congressman-bows-out-and-more-in-capital-eye-opener-february-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/308247","title":{"rendered":"Norm Dicks Gets Defensive, Another Congressman Bows Out and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:<\/p>\n

PENTAGON PURSE STRINGS PASSED ON:<\/strong> U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks<\/a> (D-Wash.) is in line to become the next chairman of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee after the unexpected death of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), reports Paul Kane at the Washington Post<\/a><\/em>. Currently, Rep. Dicks is serving<\/a> as acting chairman until a formal vote takes place. Dicks, who has been a member of the appropriations committee since being sworn into office in 1977, is a self-described<\/a> “defense Democrat.” Like Murtha, Dicks has a record of delivering defense related earmarks to his district, and along with Murtha, was caught up<\/a> in an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics into the relationship between defense-related earmark requests and campaign contributions from the political action committee and employees of the now-defunct lobbying firm, PMA Group. The OCE closed<\/a> its investigation in December, advising against a formal House ethics investigation of Dicks. So far this election cycle, the defense industry has contributed $56,800<\/a> to Dicks’ campaign committee, the majority of those contributions coming from political action committees sponsored by defense aerospace and defense electronics companies such as Boeing Co and SAIC Inc. Over the last two decades, the defense industry has contributed $926,930<\/a> to Dicks’ campaign committee, the Center for Responsive Politics’ research indicates.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"vernehlers.jpg\"<\/a>ANOTHER CONGRESSMAN BOWS OUT: <\/strong>Republican Rep. Vern Ehlers<\/a> of Michigan announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election, reports Chris Cilliza of the Washington Post<\/a><\/em>. Ehlers is the 17th Republican to retire from his seat this election cycle. Although Ehlers stated<\/a> that his reason for retiring is to give others the opportunity “to serve and leave their imprint,” Cilliza notes that the prospect of a primary challenger, State Rep. Justin Amash, along with the poor health of Ehlers’ wife, likely played a role in his decision. Amash announced<\/a> Tuesday his plans to run against Ehlers. Ehlers goes out with a considerable war chest — almost $490,000 cash on hand.<\/p>\n

CRP IN THE NEWS:<\/strong> Christa Marshall of ClimateWire<\/em> cites CRP data in a New York Times<\/em> article<\/a> describing the jump over the last year in the number of companies and organizations who hired energy lobbyists as Congress debated major climate legislation … Raymond Hernandez of the New York Times<\/em> uses CRP data in an article<\/a> about the “go-to” donors in New York … a chief executive officer President Barack Obama admires? Read about his political giving in this article<\/a> from Business Week<\/em> that cites CRP data.<\/p>\n

Have a news tip or link to pass along? We want to hear from you! E-mail us at press@crp.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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