Uh oh. The LA Times is topping its web site with this bomb.
WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry sent 28 letters on behalf of a San Diego defense contractor who pleaded guilty last week to illegally funneling campaign contributions to the Massachusetts senator and four other congressmen.
Members of Congress often write letters supporting constituent businesses and favored projects. But as the Democratic presidential front-runner, Kerry has promoted himself as a candidate who has never been beholden to campaign contributors and special interests.
From 1996 through 1998, the senator participated in a letter-writing campaign to free up federal funds for a missile system that defense contractor Parthasarathi "Bob" Majumder was trying to build for U.S. warplanes.
Kerry's letters were sent to fellow members of Congress - and to the Pentagon - while Majumder and his employees at Science and Applied Technology Inc. were donating money to the senator, court records show.
During the three-year period, Kerry received about $25,000 from Majumder and his employees, according to Dwight L. Morris and Associates, which tracks campaign donations.
The contractor told his employees they needed to make political contributions in order for him to gain influence with members of Congress. He then reimbursed them with proceeds from government contracts.
Federal prosecutors say nearly all of those donations were illegally reimbursed, though they said that Kerry and other members of Congress would not have known that. Kerry donated $13,000 to charity last week, shortly before the guilty plea.
Kerry's campaign said today that Kerry's letters had nothing to do with the campaign contributions - but with jobs.
One of the subcontractors working on the guided missile project, Millitech, was based in Massachusetts.
Campaign senior advisor Michael Meehan said Kerry was concerned that the military project was on hold and at risk of jeopardizing work for people in his home state.
"Kerry has made a career of going to bat for Massachusetts companies and bottlenecks they might have with the federal government. It's part of his job," Meehan said. "It was a small company. It wasn't a big military firm that had all kinds of influence at the Pentagon."
Kerry visited the San Diego facility in the mid 1990s. And some employees at Science and Applied Technology attended a fundraiser for Kerry.
From 1996 to 1999, Kerry wrote letters to the secretary of the Navy, the secretary of Defense, the Defense Department comptroller and to members of the House and the Senate committees that control and finance military contracts.
The court file shows copies of 21 letters he wrote. He had sent copies of some letters to seven other people.
"It obviously raises questions about whether the campaign contributions bought action from Kerry," said Steven Weiss, communications director of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington.
"It also poses a situation that all elected officials face: Raising questions about what effect, if any, campaign contributions have on the actions of lawmakers."
Last week, Majumder, 52, pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal campaign contributions. He faces a possible six years in prison when sentenced. The government dropped another 38 counts.
Majumder admitted giving illegal contributions to Kerry and Republican congressmen Randall Cunningham (R-San Diego), Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), John Murtha (R-Pa.) and Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), totaling more than $95,000. Scarborough retired in 2001. [Ed. note-HAHAHAHAHAHA]
To settle a civil suit filed by the federal government, Majumder has agreed to repay $3 million to the federal government.