This is my first diary ever, so I'd appreciate comments for improvement.
A growing scandal: dirty "Duke" Cunningham money also went to two other Republican representatives.
An excellent story in this morning's San Diego Union-Tribune reveals details of how corrupt defense contractor Mitchell Wade illegally coerced employees at his company, MZM Inc., to make PAC contributions. Three unnamed former employees of Wade's MZM told the Union-Tribune how Wade bullied them into making PAC contributions. This PAC money was then funneled to "Duke" Cunningham, Katherine Harris of Florida, and Virgil Goode of Virginia.
See extended entry for more...
The three former MZM employees who said Wade pressured them and others to donate money to the company PAC declined to be identified, saying they feared for their careers if their names were disclosed. All continue to work in the military and intelligence fields.
They and other former MZM employees questioned the way Wade solicited contracts from Defense Department intelligence agencies during the time they worked for the company.
They also expressed concerns about Wade's dealings with three House members who received a large portion of the money disbursed by MZM's PAC. The three - all Republicans - are Cunningham and Reps. Virgil Goode of Virginia and Katherine Harris of Florida.
MZM's PAC donated $17,000 to Cunningham from 2000 to 2004. Donations included $12,000 to "Friends of Duke Cunningham" and $5,000 to his leadership PAC, the American Prosperity PAC. During the same period, MZM PAC gave Goode $11,000 and Harris $10,000.
Neither Goode's nor Harris' offices returned calls seeking comment.
This is illegal money because you cannot coerce employees to contribute to the company PAC.
"It is illegal to solicit campaign contributions for the company's political action committee by the use of threats, force or threat of job reprisal," said Larry Noble, former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission and currently director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that tracks the flow of money in politics.
The former employees told the Union-Tribune that Wade crossed the line:
"By the spring of '02, Mitch was twisting employees' arms to donate to his MZM PAC," said one former employee. "We were called in and told basically either donate to the MZM PAC or we would be fired."
But there's more...Wade actually had a system by which he controlled the timing and the amounts of the "voluntary" contributions:
Another former employee said Wade used letters to remind employees before their employment anniversaries to contribute a designated amount to the company PAC. The specific amount was based on their level of seniority in the company, with more senior officials expected to give $1,000 each and less senior employees expected to give $500, the former official said.
A third former employee described being rounded up along with other employees one afternoon in the company's Washington headquarters and told to write a check, with the political recipient standing by. The former employee wouldn't give the name of the politician receiving the donations.
Wade is a scumbag. He is war-profiteering in collusion with "Duke" Cunningham, Virgil Goode, and Katherine Harris. Of course Wade made national headlines with his purchase of "Duke" Cunningham's Del Mar house which essentially was a $700,000 bribe. Wade also owns the yacht that Cunningham lives on (named the "Duke-stir").
We need to call on all three of these Reps. to return the dirty money. I am in the San Diego area and it seems very likely that "Duke" will not survive this scandal. I would love to see Harris and Goode (ohh the irony of that name!) dragged down as well.