Rise of Lobbyist Shines a Light on House Ties

Letitia Hoadley White used to be Lewis'(CA-R) staffer on the Appropriations Cmte. The investigations swell-

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Now, Ms. White's success has drawn less welcome attention. Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Mr. Lewis and other lawmakers may have traded earmarks for illicit payments from lobbyists and contractors — an outgrowth of the bribery indictment of Randy Cunningham, a former congressman from California.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because the inquiry is continuing, federal officials who have been briefed on it say prosecutors are looking into Ms. White's ties to Mr. Lewis, her old boss, and to his friend Bill Lowery, a former California congressman who is now Ms. White's lobbying partner.

....Tracking an individual lobbyist's success at winning earmarks is almost impossible because many clients employ squads of lobbyists, and many earmarks are written so opaquely that the beneficiary is hard to determine.

But an analysis by Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, which tracks such expenditures, identified earmarks in the current fiscal year benefiting more than two-thirds of Ms. White's 53 clients. The earmarks have financed projects like machine cognition research in Florida and ammunition manufacturing in Kansas. Their value is more than $230 million.
...
Leaving Capitol Hill did not end Ms. White's work for Mr. Lewis, however. In the two years after she left, Mr. Lewis, then chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, was in a fierce competition for the chairmanship of the House appropriations committee, which has authority over all discretionary spending.....Ms. White leapt to the forefront of Mr. Lewis's effort, organizing a steady stream of fund-raisers for him and other Republicans at the Capitol Hill Club, a social venue for members of the party.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/03/washington/03white.html?hp&ex=1149393600&en=1a382062b3911ea1&ei=5094&partner=homepage

What a great story! I can't wait to see what develops from this. Incidentally , I have absolutely NO use for Jerry Lewis.

he may be the big mover behind many of the shady deals in the Cunningham/lobby mess. It is possible that Cunningham was just the little fish and now the investigations are moving up to the bigger fish, Lewis.

Associated Press

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Riverside County and the Cal State Bernardino Foundation have been subpoenaed in the federal investigation into the ties between Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and a Washington, D.C., lobbyist, it was reported Saturday.

That's in addition to subpoenas of San Bernardino County and Redlands, Calif., that were confirmed earlier this week. The subpoenas are asking for records of contacts between the recipients and Lewis and Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton, & White, which employs former Rep. Bill Lowery, R-Calif ..

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/14734834.htm


Lewis denies wrongdoing in lobbyist case
ERICA WERNER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis said Friday he has not been contacted by federal investigators in their probe of his relationship with a lobbyist and benefactor whose firm's clients include Lewis' hometown and home county ...

Officials in both Redlands and the county have confirmed receiving federal subpoenas for records regarding any correspondence among Lewis, his staff and the lobbying firm - Copeland, Lowery, Jacquez, Denton, & White. The firm employs former Rep. Bill Lowery, R-Calif.

The subpoenas are part of an investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles into ties between Lewis and Lowery, a close friend and supporter of the congressman. Lowery and some of his clients have donated heavily to Lewis' campaign operations ...

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/14729416.htm