Rumor has it that the prosecution is just warming up with the plea agreement that included the resignation of Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham. If you want to know who is next, you would do well to look at the identity of the so-called unidentified co-conspirators in the Cunningham case. Key among them is Mitchell Wade, CEO of MZM, Inc., one of the Pentagon's top contractors. It was he who purchased Cunningham's home for $1.7 Million, and later was forced to sell it for its true value, $950,000. Wade also contributed heavily to Cunningham's campaigns, both personally and through MZM PAC. Wade gave personal campaign contributions to Cunningham totaling $8,000 and MZM PAC kicked in another $12,000.
Mitchell Wade is used to buying politicians. He is reported to have told an associate that "The only people I want to work with are people I give checks to. I own them." Indeed. So who did Wade give checks to? Well, the list is pretty interesting. Near the top of that list is Republican Virgil Goode of Virginia's 5th District. MZM PAC lined his coffers with $16,000 at the same time Wade personally contributed another $6,250. It probably surprises no one that Goode, like Cunningham, sits on the House Appropriations Committee.
Want some other interesting names? Try Katherine Harris. Yes, the same Katherine Harris that delivered the 2000 election to George W. Bush as the Secretary of State in Florida. Now a member of Congress, Harris received $10,000 from MZM PAC and another $4,000 in personal contributions from Mitchell Wade. She sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security, another juicy source of funds for MZM contracts. Are we starting to see a pattern here?
There are other names that stand out on Wade's list of store-bought politicians. People like House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, and, unfortunately, Democrat John Murtha are on the long list of recipients of MZM's largesse. This list will no doubt be fertile ground for investigators for months to come.