Alaska Rep.: $81 Million For Florida "Old News"

[babylonsister]

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003388.php

Alaska Rep.: $81 Million For Florida "Old News"
By Laura McGann - June 8, 2007, 9:13 AM

There is nothing unusual about a congressman from Alaska secretly allocating $10 million for a Florida interchange or helping secure $81 million for a related project.

That’s what Rep. Don Young (R-AK) told the Anchorage Daily News in response to a New York Times story about his involvement in slipping Coconut Road in Fort Myers, Florida about $81 million. The extension of the road and the creation of an interchange is a boon for real estate developers in the area, several of whom are big Republican donors. One in particular, Daniel J. Aronoff, said he helped raise $40,000 for Young days before the $10 million earmark appeared because, as an Aronoff consultant explained: “We were looking for a lot of money.” Young was the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the time.

When a Times reporter approached Young near the House floor about the Coconut Road story the congressman gave the journalist an obscene gesture, apparently declining to comment. But yesterday Young sent a statement to the Anchorage Daily News saying this is all “old news:”

"Every story that comes out is the same, with different players and different projects," he said. "When you are the chairman of the largest committee in the House, and a senior member, and in charge of writing a $290-odd billion bill, it's a guarantee that you are going to be raising more money than other less senior members. ... It's also a guarantee that there will be a plethora of projects for people to look at and pick apart. This is a recycled story."

According to the local Alaska paper, Young recycles this defense. In April he gave the same explanation when asked about campaign contributions from a Wisconsin trucking executive alleged to have improperly benefited from road legislation originating in Young's committee.

[Bitwit1234]

1. Why no news coverage

There has been absolutely no coverage of this on the news. Nor has there been anything about the searching of Doolittles home..they are both republicans.....BUT Jefferson, the democrat, has had non stop coverage. I am not trying to say Jefferson should not be investigated and the evidence of the bribe is really telling, but why all the coverage about this man and nada, zilch, nothing about Stevens or Doolittle.

[zbdent]

2. So, when some Repuke goes on and on about a Dem getting

$3K for something ...