House Appropriations chairman under fire

[cal04]

Did Rep. Jerry Lewis use his powerful position to enrich a friend?
Updated: 37 minutes ago

You may not have heard of him, but Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., is one of the most powerful members of Congress, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which controls hundreds of billions of dollars. Tom Casey, CEO of the now-defunct computer software company Audre Inc., has told federal investigators what he says happened in 1993 when he asked for Lewis' help in getting money for the Pentagon to test software that converted engineering documents to computer formats.

Tom Casey: I just thought, in my opinion, it pressed the boundaries of what was ethical.
In an exclusive interview, Casey tells NBC News that after he made campaign contributions to House members of both parties, Lewis informed him the Pentagon would get $14 million for the testing, and that Casey even could write the language.

Lisa Myers: You were allowed to write language for an appropriations bill yourself?
Casey: Yes, I did. That was Congressman Lewis' suggestion.
Casey says Lewis repeatedly urged him to hire a lobbyist, former U.S. Rep. Bill Lowery, Lewis' close friend, and when that didn't happen, pressed for another favor.
Casey: Congressman Lewis asked me to set up stock options for Bill Lowery in our company.
Casey says Lewis suggested he issue the stock options in Canada — in someone else's name.
Myers: Did you view it as an effort to hide what was really going on?
Casey: It was intended to conceal his participation, yes.

Lewis calls that charge "patently false." Lowery says in a statement to NBC News, "We have absolutely no knowledge of that whatsoever." Casey never issued the stock options and acknowledges he has absolutely no proof that Lewis did anything illegal.
Myers: You went bankrupt, you have every reason to be bitter. Why should anyone believe you?
Casey: I have absolutely nothing to gain, and there is a need for reform.
Still, Lewis' relationship with Lowery is central to the expanding criminal investigation. Some of Lowery's clients have received subpoenas. And a study by the public interest group Taxpayers for Common Sense reveals that those clients have had a remarkable success rate before Lewis' committee.
"Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone to this one firm's clients," says Keith Ashdown with Taxpayers for Common Sense.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13191097/