Now that Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham has bawled in front of the cameras, what I imagine is the whole of the information has come out in this case of bribery on the part of MZM, Inc. It turns out that the military contractor gave him a stunning $2,400,000 in order to influence his votes on the House Appropriations Committee. The AP provides some detail in their story, including:
Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.
[…]
He also agreed to forfeit to the government his Rancho Santa Fe home, more than $1.8 million in cash and antiques and rugs.
In a statement, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid to him by several conspirators through a variety of methods, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.
One more tidbit yet to come out is with whom he’s charged with conspiring — prosecutors aren’t naming names just yet.
If Cunningham is smart, he’ll roll over on everybody at MZM and every other congressman who was a part of this scheme. If Rep. Virgil Goode was involved in this — and there’s good reason to think that’s so — he must be sweating bullets right now.
wow, I’m sure Virgil “DO no” Goode isn’t going to be sleeping much
tonight!
Has there been any evidence whatsoever that Virgil has personally profited in any way?
Voting for projects that are supported by big campaign donors is something that EVERY congressman does. Cunningham went a good deal further by taking bribes.
What’s the personal gain by Goode?