WASHINGTON POST: Documents: Federal Funding Funneled to Rep. Murtha’s Supporters.

A Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two “handlers” close to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) as it collected nearly $250 million in federal funding through the lawmaker, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and sources familiar with the funding requests. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha’s campaign supporters.

The two advisers included a lobbyist for PMA, a firm with close ties to Murtha that is the subject of a federal probe into whether it made illegal contributions by reimbursing donors to the Pennsylvania lawmaker and other members of Congress. The Electro-Optics Center also relied on advice from a longtime Murtha friend who now works on the congressman’s appropriations staff.

Even Kos is unhappy and calling for an investigation: “House Democrats have been blocking an ethics investigation into this matter. That has to stop now. It was sh*t like this that helped Democrats lose control of the House in 1994, and Republicans in 2006. I’ve got no interest in giving Republicans easy ammunition. We have to show we are different than Republicans by refusing to tolerate any corruption in our ranks.” Good for him — he’s certainly right. But the GOP Congress didn’t listen to me; let’s see if the Dems listen to him . . . .