From today’s Washington Post:
Grand Jury Demands Lawmaker’s Documents
Investigation Centers On Ties to Contractor
By Renae Merle and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, June 29, 2005; D01
A federal grand jury in Southern California has subpoenaed documents from Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, his lawyer said yesterday in a written statement. Prosecutors have been examining the congressman’s relationship with Mitchell J. Wade, the owner of District-based defense contractor MZM Inc.
In 2003, Wade bought the California Republican’s home near San Diego for $1.675 million. He later resold it for a $700,000 loss. For the past year, Cunningham has been living rent-free while in Washington on a 42-foot yacht owned by Wade.
The congressman, a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee, said last week that he showed “poor judgment” in his dealings with Wade but that he had done nothing wrong. He said he supported funding intelligence programs but gave no preferential treatment to MZM.
Then this on the jump page of the story: The firm’s management has been in flux in recent weeks. Wade stepped aside earlier this month because of the investigation and was replaced by Frank Bragg Jr. and Kay Coles James, who served as chief executive and chief operating officer, respectively. Bragg, who previously served as MZM’s chief operating officer, and James, the former director of the Office of Personnel Management, “voluntarily resigned,” the statement said.
What the Post didn’t tell you: Kay Cole James was Virginia’s Secretary of Health and Human Services under Governor George Allen, is a former dean at Pat Robertson’s Regent University, was a member of the Fairfax County School Board, the Virginia State Board of Education and served on the board of directors of the Coalitioin of Christian Colleges and Universities, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Focus on the Family and the Center for Jewish and Christian Values.
Love those Christian values, Ms. James! So tell us, what did you know about this cozy arrangement with ‘Duke,’ and when did you know it?
