It looks like the Cunningham case is heating up and now going after Rep. Jerry Lewis even harder:
A Washington lobbying firm at the center of a federal corruption probe failed to disclose at least $755,000 in income from 17 nonprofit organizations and governmental entities, and $635,000 from 18 other clients between 1998 and 2005, according to the firm’s recently amended filings with the clerk of the House.
Lawyers for the Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White firm say that the errors were inadvertent. But some experts have called them unusual and suggested that Copeland Lowery might have been trying to play down how much money it was paid by those who received federal grants the firm arranged, particularly the clients who paid its lobbying fees with tax-exempt or public funds.
Such payments to obtain “earmarks” — a form of funding directed by language that lawmakers often insert in spending bills without hearings or competition — have become increasingly common on Capitol Hill and increasingly controversial. Federal investigators have been probing whether there was a relationship between some of these earmarks and the campaign donations Copeland Lowery lobbyists made to House Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and his committee colleagues.
The initial reporting errors had the effect of understating what Copeland Lowery received in lobbying fees from universities, health-care centers and municipal governments, among others. The reporting errors also understated what the lobbying firm received from private firms including ADCS Inc., owned by Brent R. Wilkes, a longtime Republican contributor also targeted in the federal probe.
The corruption keeps coming. Yesterday I posted on more people turning on the Republican’s key issue of tax cuts, mainly because of the growing deficit. If it wasn’t for the level of corruption surrounding the leading party of our government, I wonder how much smaller the deficit would actually be?
Earmarks and pork projects have skyrocketed since the Republicans have taken control of both houses. This is another great danger to having no checks and balances. This also provides the perfect opportunity for the crooked Congressmen and Senators to go over the edge. Voters must remember this when heading to the polls this fall. If Democrats win back one house then there is a checks and balance. If Democrats win back both houses then Bush is the checks and balance. A single party in charge of our government, rather it is Democrat or Republican, is a grave danger to our democracy.