Friday, June 05, 2009
John McHugh
The Secretary of the Army is a civilian-led post responsible for overseeing all matters pertaining to the U.S. Army, including procurement of weapons systems and other equipment used by soldiers. Given this responsibility, the defense industry was no doubt pleased with the appointment this week of Congressman John McHugh (R-NY) by President Barack Obama as Army Secretary.
McHugh has forged a friendly relationship with military contractors, and has supported expensive weapons projects like the F-14 fighter and the V-22 Osprey aircraft. Corporations that do defense-related work have contributed handsomely to McHugh’s reelection campaigns—to the tune of $220,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The top contributors include Lockheed Martin ($35,000), General Dynamics ($31,000) and Boeing ($13,500).
Another significant contributor to McHugh was the PMA Group, led by lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti, a former protégé of Congressman John Murtha (D-PA), himself a close friend of the defense industry. The PMA Group, which gave McHugh more than $160,000, is now under investigation by the FBI, which raided Magliocchetti’s office and home in March looking for evidence of improper dealings with lawmakers. Officials on Capitol Hill are holding their breath and hoping Magliocchetti’s name doesn’t become as familiar as that of Jack Abramoff’s.
In February, McHugh ws one of only 16 Republican members of the House who voted in favor the Omnibus Appropriations Act.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
McHugh's Defense Industry Ties (by Sarah Fitzpatrick, Washington Post)
John M. McHugh (Congressional Biography)
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