Mollohan calls corruption report ‘nonsense’

By Jess Mancini, NewsandSentinel.com

September 16, 2009

PARKERSBURG - A West Virginia congressman Tuesday said a Washington public interest group's report saying he was one of the most corrupted members of Congress is "nonsense."

Fifteen lawmakers, including Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., are on the fifth annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress report from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

Mollohan was under investigation by the Department of Justice relative to his position on the House Appropriations Committee where he earmarked millions of dollars to organizations ran by officials who made political contributions to him worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, the organization said. He has been listed in the report in 2006, 2007 and 2008; however, the 1st District representative has never been charged.

"What nonsense," Mollohan said.

"This attack was launched four years ago to undermine my work on the ethics committee's investigation of then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay. It was and is factually baseless and has been rebutted many times," he said. "What is disappointing is that by uncritically recycling tired old stories, an organization claiming to speak for integrity and honesty in government has instead allowed itself to become complicit in this political hatchet job."

DeLay, known as "The Hammer," has since left Congress, but was recently announced as a contestant on the popular ABC TV show "Dancing with the Stars."

Mollohan has served in the House of Representatives for 14 terms.

Also on the list are Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.; Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill.; Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.; Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga.; Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.; Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill.; Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.; Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.; Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Calif.; Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.; Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; and Rep. Don Young, R-Ark.

Burris, Ensign, Deal, Jackson and Visclosky are new to the list.

Calvert, Lewis, Mollohan, Murtha, Visclosky and Young reportedly are under investigation by the Justice Department. Burris, Ensign, Rangel and Richardson are under investigation by the congressional ethics committee. Jackson is under investigation by both the Justice Department and the Office of Congressional Ethics and Buchanan is being investigated by the Federal Election Commission.

Waters, off the list for two years, returned for using her congressional position to help a bank in which she is financially tied, the organization said.