http://www.publicintegrity.org//favicon.ico http://www.publicintegrity.org//images/layout/cpi_logo_print.jpg The Center for Public Integrity : PaperTrail Blog http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/ The Center for Public Integrity Blog en nschwellenbach@publicintegrity.org Copyright 2010 2010-02-09T16:54:23+00:00 MONEY & POLITICS: Remembering Rep. John P “Jack” Murtha http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1933/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1933/#When:15:54:23Z Controversial Pennsylvania Power Broker was King of the Earmark

Yesterday marked the passing of one of Washington’s most powerful and controversial legislators, one whose work was familiar to followers of the Center for Public Integrity. Pennsylvania Democrat John P. “Jack” Murtha, chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, died Monday afternoon at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA, according to a statement from his congressional office. Murtha was 77.

]]> Money, Politics 2010-02-09T15:54:23+00:00 MONEY & POLITICS: Senator Richard Shelby Goes to Bat for Major Financial Benefactor http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1932/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1932/#When:17:59:28Z Alabama Republican Blocks Nominees to Aid Northrop Grumman

The unusual “blanket hold” placed on Obama administration nominees by Senator Richard Shelby, represents an effort to support a firm that has contributed more than $100,000 to the Alabama Republican over the course of his long political career, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis.

]]> 2010-02-05T17:59:28+00:00 TRANSPORTATION: Winter Ends for the High-Speed Rail Lobby http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1919/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1919/#When:16:41:47Z The transportation world is buzzing over the President’s visit to Florida Thursday, reportedly to announce the lucky recipients of $8 billion in stimulus funds for high-speed rail projects. The Associated Press is among reporting those that the announcement will likely include high-speed rail money for 31 states.

]]> Transportation 2010-01-27T16:41:47+00:00 FINANCE: FHA and Ginnie Mae Punish Troubled New York Lender Cited by Center Probe http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1916/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1916/#When:19:42:14Z TopDot Mortgage Expelled From Government-Insured Mortgage Program

A New York-based lender that was featured in a recent Center for Public Integrity investigation has been expelled from a government-insured mortgage program and denied the right to sell mortgage-backed securities to investors.

]]> Finance 2010-01-26T19:42:14+00:00 STATES: West Virginia Could Pull Ahead on Ethics Front http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1909/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1909/#When:15:21:18Z West Virginia stands to gain at least 21 points in our States of Disclosure project, following passage of an ethics bill yesterday in the House of Delegates that appears likely to become law.

]]> 2010-01-21T15:21:18+00:00 MONEY & POLITICS: Ethics Investigation Continues for Two ‘Murtha Method’ Congressmen http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1908/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1908/#When:12:00:11Z The House ethics committee has announced it is extending a review of two Congressmen that were among the subjects of "The Murtha Method," an investigation published last September by the Center for Public Integrity.

]]> Money, Politics 2010-01-20T12:00:11+00:00 MONEY & POLITICS: The Top Ten PACs That Will Miss Chris Dodd http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1897/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1897/#When:14:42:01Z Financial Services Firms and Associations Have Been Senator’s Lead Patrons

When Connecticut Democrat Chris Dodd first ran for the Senate in 1980, his campaign cost only about $1.4 million. But three decades later, running for office has grown far more expensive — Dodd had already spent nearly $1.8 million in the first three-quarters of 2009 in anticipation of his now-aborted 2010 re-election campaign. With the announcement this week that Dodd would retire, rather than seek a sixth term, we took a look at his biggest sources of campaign cash over the course of that long Senate tenure. Of the $10 million-plus he’s received from hundreds of political action committees (in addition to millions from individuals) since the dawn of his first campaign through his late 2009 filings, at least $981,250 came from just ten sources. These are the top ten PACs that have supported Dodd over his entire Senate career:

]]> 2010-01-08T14:42:01+00:00 STATES: New Year for Ethics in New York? http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1885/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1885/#When:20:39:31Z New York Governor David Paterson is expected to announce a sweeping ethics reform package Wednesday, which is already being hailed as “the most ambitious ever suggested by a sitting governor in New York.” The proposals would create an independent commission to enforce ethics and campaign finance laws, and impose term limits for statewide officials, while revamping the state’s campaign finance system.

]]> 2010-01-05T20:39:31+00:00 MONEY & POLITICS: Blue Dogs Back in Business http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1874/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1874/#When:18:29:44Z For the past five months or so, we’ve been tracking the fascinating fundraising ups and downs of those fiscally conservative House Democrats, the so-called Blue Dogs. So as the year closes out, we’re here with a special holiday gift: the Dogs’ fundraising numbers for both October and November, which have finally snapped the downward trend they’d been experiencing since June.

]]> 2009-12-14T18:29:44+00:00 FINANCE: Ginnie Mae’s Troubled Issuers http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1871/ http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/1871/#When:01:15:56Z A new investigation by The Center for Public Integrity, in collaboration with The Washington Post, digs into the troubled track record of firms which have been authorized to issue mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association, known as Ginnie Mae. The government agency, part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides payment guarantees to investors in securities; most of those securities contain Federal Housing Administration loans. Those Ginnie Mae guarantees, along with surging FHA lending, have helped grease the flow of home mortgage financing in recent years, as the private mortgage market seized up amid the credit crunch and economic crisis.

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