Common Cause: Time to Investigate Virgil "MZM" Goode

By: Lowell
Published On: 5/22/2006 10:31:10 AM

Virginia's best political reporter, Laurence Hammack, has an article in Saturday's Roanoke Times entitled, "Group wants probe of Goode: Common Cause asked a House panel to include Rep. Virgil Goode in an investigation."  According to Hammack - who, unlike many reporters, actually is willing to dig into stories and do the serious legwork a reporter's supposed to do:

A government watchdog group is asking the House ethics committee to investigate the dealings between a corrupt defense contractor and U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode.

Common Cause made the request following an announcement this week that the ethics committee was launching a probe into a bribery scandal that put former California Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham in prison.

Cunningham took bribes from defense contractor MZM Inc. -- a company once headed by Mitchell Wade, who has admitted making more than $40,000 in illegal campaign contributions to Goode.

Common Cause issued its demand to investigate Goode on May 18, writing:

If the House Ethics Committee will conduct investigations of Members already under federal scrutiny, then the panel should also immediately add to its to-do list other Members known to be under federal scrutiny, such as Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL) and Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA).

What a bunch: convict Randy "Duke" Cunningam, Katherine "Cruella de Ville" Harris and Virgil "MZM" Goode.  None of them should be in Congress. All should be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law if the evidence warrants.

Comments



The Washington Post Is Making a Big Deal About Jefferson. . . (Kip - 5/22/2006 1:01:41 PM)
but let us keep our eye on the ball, corruption is mainly a Republican deal in 2006. If Jefferson accepted bribes, then prosecute him to the full extent fo the law. Virgil Goode among however reminds exactly who runs the culture of corruption. Delay, Cunningham, Ney, Burns, Foggo, Libby and Safavian have all been investigated, indicted, or convicted. On the Democrat side we have Jefferson and Moholland.


Let the Post keep talking (Craig - 5/22/2006 1:31:10 PM)
I don't see any Democrats rushing to Jefferson's defense.  Meanwhile, Republicans continue to insist that their guys really didn't do anything wrong.


The Democratic party should be among the loudest voices condemning this... (Loudoun County Dem - 5/22/2006 1:56:51 PM)
With the usual caveats that Jefferson is presumed innocent until proven guilty, we should be just as appalled by this behavior as we are of Cunningham/Delay/Ney etc.

Abuse of the public trust is not to be tolerated by any public servant, without regard to party. A line MUST be drawn...

Democrats are the party that respects that the rule of law applies to all.



I agree (msnook - 5/23/2006 11:15:13 AM)
Jefferson should resign, and Democrats should demand that he do so. This should not be a Democrats vs. Republican fight, it should be a fight between the honest and the corrupt.


Vote the bums out (phriendlyjaime - 5/23/2006 11:24:38 AM)
no matter WHAT LETTER is after their name...