FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2010
Contact: Matt Rousu, Communications Director
570-898-3650
Derk Calls on Carney to Come Clean with PMA Contributions
(Selinsgrove, PA) Today, 10th District Congressional Candidate Malcolm Derk called on Chris Carney to dispose of all PMA funds in his campaign account and join the bipartisan push for the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to more thoroughly investigate the scandal-ridden lobbying firm and lawmakers connected to it. The PMA group was raided by the FBI in 2008 and is being investigated for its role in illegal campaign contributions. The firm has since been shut down.
Politico, a Washington, DC based newspaper, reported last week that Congressmen Paul Hodes (D-NH) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have called on the OCE to release all documents that were submitted to the panel as part of its investigation. It is suspected that these documents will further expose the group’s influence in securing earmarks from over 100 Members of Congress.
“Chris Carney needs to come clean with his PMA money. In the 2008 election cycle, he accepted $41,500 in campaign contributions from this corrupt group. Why he hasn’t already returned this money is beyond me. It is a stain on the House of Representatives that he isn’t actively trying to uncover any improprieties with this group,” Derk said. “What is he trying to hide?”
According to Open Secrets, a website that tracks Congressional contributions, the PMA group was Chris Carney’s top donor in 2008.
“First it was money from Charles Rangel, and now it’s this. Chris Carney clearly has a history of inappropriate donations,” Malcolm Derk said.
Additionally, Carney has voted against fully debating the PMA scandal on the House Floor. On April 22, 2010 Carney voted against ordering the previous question on H Res 1287. This would have extended debate on a Resolution to require the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to report on the connections between PMA group campaign contributions and specific earmarks. Twenty four Democrats chose to join with the Republicans to further debate the issue but Carney voted against it. The vote to extend debate failed 187-218 (House Roll Call Vote 217).
Malcolm Derk is a candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. He is the Vice-Chair of the Snyder County Board of Commissioners and is the Public Relations Co-Chair of the Snyder County Republicans, Treasurer on the SEDA-COG Board of Directors and a supply pastor for several congregations in Snyder and Northumberland counties. He also served six years on the Freeburg Borough Council. He lives in Freeburg, PA with his wife, Erin.
For more information, visit the Derk for Congress website at www.derkforcongress.com.
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Tags: Chris Carney, Congress, Derk for Congress, PA-10
