As Bush blusters and threatens to veto Congressional earmarks, the king of earmarks, Don Young is proud of his own special programs, even saying so on the floor of the House of Representatives. Of course Bush never vetoed any pork for the six years of Republican rule, including Alaska's earmark legend. Putting Bush aside, lets focus on what the honorable Mr. Young had to say.
From CREW:
During a House debate on earmarks, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) spoke on the House floor about his earmark, including the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" and the recent disclosure of a Florida highway, which the New York Times called an "obvious" tradeoff for campaign contributions:
“I was always proud of my earmarks. I believe in earmarks, always have, as long as they are exposed. But don’t you ever call that a scandal,” he said.
Young may not think he's enmeshed in scandal, but he is:
Making the comments was a bold move for Young, who has been facing scrutiny on a number of fronts recently.
Young has close ties to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is in jail and cooperating with federal prosecutors before facing sentencing on another charge. In April, Mark Zachares, a former Young staffer and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands employee, pleaded guilty to a list of charges stemming from his involvement in the Abramoff scandal. Media reports also have scrutinized his involvement in setting aside earmarks for a pipeline project that benefited a company that employed Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens’s (R) son, Ben.
The boldness of people like Don Young is incredible to watch. The man is acting on borrowed time, yet appears to be confident that the widening scandal will not touch him. Perhaps he might want to chat with his friends Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham and of course Jack Abramoff from their jail cells. They thought they were invincible once too.
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