Palm Beach Post
The nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause filed a complaint with the Justice Department Monday alleging that Rep. Katherine Harris violated federal law by seeking a $10 million appropriation in exchange for an offer of fund-raising support from a defense contractor.
The complaint alleges that Harris, a Republican from Longboat Key who is running for the U.S. Senate, sought the appropriation for a counterintelligence facility in her congressional district after having dinner early last year with Mitchell Wade, an owner and chief executive of MZM Inc., a defense contractor who later pleaded guilty to bribing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif.
During that dinner, which reportedly cost $2,800 at Citronelle Restaurant in Washington, Wade offered to help raise money for Harris' political campaign, the complaint said.
"It appears that Representative Harris crossed the line from the usual back-scratching that goes on between lobbyists and members of Congress, to agreeing to a quid pro quo from Wade — a fund-raiser in exchange for his $10 million earmark," Common Cause President Chellie Pingree said in a news release. "We would like the Justice Department to investigate."
Harris issued a statement Wednesday calling the Common Cause allegation "false and outrageous. I maintain my involvement with MZM was nothing more than an effort to secure jobs and economic opportunities for the people of my district.
"I have never been contacted by authorities and will continue to direct my attention toward the economic, social and infrastructure needs of Florida's families, senior citizens and small businesses as a candidate for the United States Senate," Harris said.
House ethics rules limit a lawmaker's individual gifts to no more than $50. Harris has said the dinner tab was so high because Wade bought some expensive bottles of wine, which he took with him unopened. She has since contributed $100 to a Jacksonville charity to offset what she said was her share of the dinner's cost.
Michael Surrusco, ethics campaigns director for Common Cause, said the organization decided to file the complaint with the Justice Department in response to recent House votes that have virtually stripped the House Ethics Committee of its powers.
"In the absence of the House Ethics Committee, the Justice Department because the de facto enforcement body," he said.
A Justice representative said the agency would not comment on the complaint.
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