Mitchell Wade - Other Members of Congress Involved

Other Members of Congress Involved

Reuters reported

In violation of campaign-finance laws, Wade was found to have reimbursed employees at his company, MZM Inc., who made campaign contributions to two other members of Congress. Campaign-finance records show that those lawmakers were Virginia Republican Rep. Virgil Goode and Florida Republican Rep. Katherine Harris. The charges indicate Wade did not inform either one that the contributions were unlawful. A spokeswoman for Harris, who as Florida's secretary of state played a key role in the 2000 disputed presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, said she had given the $52,000 she received from MZM employees to charity. A spokesman for Goode was not immediately available for comment. According to the charges he received at least $46,000 in illegal contributions from MZM. MZM operates several facilities in Goode's south-central Virginia district, including one that conducts background checks on foreign-owned defense contractors.

The Washington Post reported: "The congressman identifiable as Goode received $46,000 in such disguised contributions in 2003 and 2005, the court papers said. That was part of about $90,000 Wade and his workers contributed to Goode. Wade then asked the member to request appropriations for an MZM facility in his district, the Wade papers said, and a Goode staff member confirmed to Wade that the bill would include $9 million in funding."

The paper also noted: "The member identifiable as Harris received $32,000 in illegal donations from Wade and his employees in 2004. Documents filed with Wade's plea say that he took Harris to dinner early last year, where they discussed the possibility of another fundraiser and the possibility of getting funding for a Navy counterintelligence program in the member's district. One source familiar with the inquiry said Harris made such a request for funding, but it was not granted."

Mitchell Wade also contributed to the following political persons: RNC (Republican National Committee), John F Kerry (D), DNC Services Corporation (Democratic National Committee), Robert L Barr Jr. (R) Georgia, Elizabeth Dole (R) NC, Larry Craig (R) ID, Steve Chabot (R) OH, Zach Wamp (R) Tenn, Duncan Hunter (R) CA, Devon Gerald Nunes (R) CA, Jerry Lewis (R) CA, Robert Ney (R) OH, John William Warner (R) Virginia, C. W. Bill Young (R) Florida, National Republican Senatorial Committee, John Davidson the IV Rockefeller (D) WV, Richard G Renzi (R) Arizona, Mario Diaz-Balart (R) Florida, Floyd Davidson Spence (R) South Carolina, John Murtha (D) PN

All the above are verifiable at fec.gov