Jeff Fortenberry Doesn't Get It
Jun 20, 05:32 PM CST
Jeff Fortenberry just doesn’t get it folks. After Nebraskans had to convince him to return $4,000 of dirty money he accepted from Duke Cunningham, and after we learned that he took $20,000 from Tom “The Hammer” Delay, it now appears that he has continued to accept contributions from questionable sources.
In just the latest development as part of the systemic problem of corruption in the Republican Congress, speculation is now swirling around California Congressman Jerry Lewis, the chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee. Lewis’ committee doles out hundreds of billions of dollars every year and Lewis appears to be involved in a Duke Cunningham-type scandal involving millions of dollars in earmarks to contractors and clients of friends, even family members. According to new reports, Lewis’ former staffers now work for Washington lobbying firms with connections to big contracting companies. Trident, one such contractor, has reportedly earned earmarks valued at $11.7 million as a result of legislation by Lewis’ Appropriations Committee.
Separate and apart from any of these purported earmarks and favors as committee chairman, Jerry Lewis has given millions of dollars in campaign contributions. With Lewis facing tough questions about favors and earmarks, especially as chairman of one of the most powerful committees on Capitol Hill, his congressional beneficiaries in Nebraska are under pressure to return his tainted money. This is not the first Republican Member of Congress to come under fire for ethical lapses, in fact, following the indictment of Tom DeLay and the guilty pleas of Jack Abramoff and Neil Volz, most of the congressional Republicans who took the tainted campaign cash returned the money or donated the funds to charity. Now that Lewis is under an ethical cloud, will Fortenberry and Nebraska Republicans do the right thing and again return the dirty money?
Jeff Fortenberry has received $17,000 from Lewis. The Nebraska Republican Federal Campaign committee received $5,000.
I spent a lot of time in the 1st District during the last month on my county convention tour. I met some great people. These are hard working folks, people like you and I, who still believe in the value of a government that represents their values – that is fair, honest and good. And yet, time and time again, Fortenberry has turned his back on them, deciding instead to be part of an incredible pattern of corruption.
Jeff Fortenberry doesn’t get it. Let’s make sure he gets the message loud and clear this time.
– by eric | Send this to a friend
Lee Terry has been having this problem. He stood on the floor of the House to defend Denny Hastert just a couple weeks ago (when ABC was reporting that Hastert was under a Justice Department Probe related to the Abramoff scandal). But Lee Terry has taken $12,000 from Denny Hastert so far. So it looks like 12,000 dollars is all it takes to get a impassioned defence on the floor of the House.
Similarly, Lee Terry took 5 thousand dollars from John Boehner, before voting for him for Majority Leader only days later.
Jim Esch doesn’t take PAC money; he doesn’t take special interest money. The difference between Jim and Lee couldn’t be more clear.
Republicans have a culture of corrupt money in nebraska, and Democrats of unquestionable integrity (like Esch, Maxine, and Scott) are taking them to task!
— John Owens-Ream Jun 21, 12:27 PM CST #
— S.Freud Jun 21, 04:14 PM CST #
Just look at this: Duke Cunningham sits in prison, Tom DeLay has resigned in disgrace, and Congressman Lewis is well on his way to following suit on one or both accounts. Between these three paragons of vice, Jeff Fortenberry has been rewarded with over $40,000 in just his first term in Congress for nothing more than being a ready, willing, and seemingly eager participant in the Republicans’ influence-peddling pyramid scheme.
Fortenberry has invited their corruption into our state in the form of campaign contributions greater than the annual salary of your average honest and hard-working Nebraskan. Jefferson, on the other hand, has no such connection to Nebraska – whatever his crime. In fact, his closest connection would be Jeff Fortenberry because they both call the state of Louisiana home.
I guess this sort of corruption is just more acceptable in that part of the country, but there was a time when Nebraska was above this sort of hyper-partisan style of self-serving politics. There was a time when we actually expected better of our representatives.
Fortenberry is personally responsible for lowering the bar in Nebraska politics. Here’s hoping the voters of the First District will end this game of the “Louisiana Limbo” when they get the chance this November.
— Kyle Michaelis Jun 21, 07:07 PM CST #
If any republican or democrat has taken money from Jefferson, they should return it immediately.
Fortenberry should return his money from corrupt sources.
— vince powers Jun 21, 07:59 PM CST #