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Mitchell Wade
Boom Shaka Laka - Justice
The San Diego Union Tribune, without whom this would not have happened, is reporting that corrupt contractor Brent Wilkes was found guilty by a jury on 13 of 13 counts related to his bribery of imprisoned ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham. The story of Brent Wilkes is perhaps one of the more telling tales of political corruption for our time. Here is a man who set up a series of bogus companies, many which appeared to be nothing but a name with similar addresses, and received million dollar contracts for important work including the bottling of water for troops in Iraq and providing “commercial cover for CIA operations,” despite having no background in air cover. This is the story of the atmosphere of corruption, embodied by the wanton abandon to cash in on political connections, which must have permeated Congress in the late-90s and early-00s.
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 5, 2007 - 4:28pm.
Read more: Brent Wilkes | CIA | Corruption | Duke Cunningham | K. Dusty Foggo | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Cunningham-linked contractor paying big campaign finance fine
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 1, 2007 - 9:56am.
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade | MZM | Virgil Goode (see all terms)
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade | MZM | Virgil Goode (see all terms)
Source Name
San Diego Union Tribune
Snippit
Defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty to bribing former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, is now paying the second-largest campaign finance penalty in the history of the Federal Election Commission.
Bali Hai!
Out of all the congressional corruption scandals that have engulfed Washington since 2005 my personal favorite was and still is the Duke Cunningham bribery case. This scandal had it all, a bribery menu, a yacht named "Buoy Toy" illegally gifted to a member of Congress, quid pro quos of hookers for earmarks, and of course a cartoonishly corrupt contractor who liked to randomly yell "Boom shaka laka!" That contractor, Brent Wilkes, pled "not guilty" to the bribery charges that both his underling Mitchell Wade and the bribed Cunningham have admitted to, leading to the only trial in the sprawling corruption investigation. The trial has led to some terrific moments including testimony from the hookers hired by Wilkes for Cunningham and the ludicrous argument by the defense that all Wilkes was engaged in was aggressive lobbying. Now we get treated to this hilarious video of Wilkes and his team hosting Cunningham for a scuba diving trip. Wilkes is seen at the end doing his random shouting thing. Bali Hai!
The best places to follow the Cunningham case and the trial are TPM Muckraker, Seth Hettena's blog, and the San Diego Union Tribune. Hettena and the writers from the Union Tribune have both written their own books about Duke's corruption.
Written by Paul Blumenthal on October 26, 2007 - 10:52am.
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Wade describes dreading dinners with Cunningham
Written by Paul Blumenthal on October 16, 2007 - 10:19am.
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Source Name
San Diego Union Tribune
Snippit
Mitchell Wade, a Washington, D.C., consultant and a key figure in the Randy “Duke” Cunningham corruption scandal, testified Friday in the bribery trial of Brent Wilkes to a pattern of meals and gifts given to Cunningham in exchange for lucrative government work for Wilkes's firm.
Cunningham financier admits role in scandal
Written by Paul Blumenthal on June 15, 2007 - 10:32am.
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade | Thomas Kontogiannis (see all terms)
Read more: Brent Wilkes | Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade | Thomas Kontogiannis (see all terms)
Source Name
San Diego Union Tribune
Snippit
A New York financier has admitted playing a key role in the scandal that brought down former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, according to a guilty plea unsealed this week. Thomas Kontogiannis said he helped finance the purchase of Cunningham's $2.5 million house in Rancho Santa Fe, in a deal that evolved from two military contractors' alleged plans to bribe the congressman.
Key Hill Corruption Figure Still Dishing Dirt
Written by Paul Blumenthal on January 22, 2007 - 11:09am.
Read more: Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Read more: Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Source Name
U.S. News & World Report
Snippit
A central character in one of Washington's seediest congressional corruption capers is likely to stay out of jail for several more months because he's cooperating with the feds and coughing up juicy details about others implicated in the scandal, insiders tell U.S. News. Washington defense contractor Mitchell Wade pleaded guilty last February to paying then California Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham more than $1 million in bribes.
FBI questions two more former aides to Harris
Written by Paul Blumenthal on November 2, 2006 - 10:48am.
Read more: Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Read more: Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Source Name
St. Petersburg Times
Snippit
Federal investigators have interviewed at least two more former chiefs of staff to U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris as part of a federal inquiry into her relationship with a convicted defense contractor.
Former NSA Chief's Aide Under Investigation
Written by Paul Blumenthal on September 18, 2006 - 9:15am.
Read more: Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Read more: Duke Cunningham | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Feds interview Harris' ex-campaign manager
Written by Paul Blumenthal on September 11, 2006 - 8:59am.
Read more: Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Read more: Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Harris Aides Eye 'Classified' Papers
Written by Paul Blumenthal on August 7, 2006 - 9:07am.
Read more: Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
Read more: Katherine Harris | Mitchell Wade (see all terms)
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Today's Ethics Watch
No money coming to Young’s legal defense: Alaska congressman Don Young (R) is having trouble getting contributions to his legal defense fund. A document filed with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shows “no activity” since the fund was approved by the committee on Jan. 9. (The Hill)
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]