Sunday, November 11, 2007
The story of one Republican's corruption
The scandal of Don Young, R-AK, has been out in public for some time, but McClatchy has thoughtfully put together a detailed look at the prince of political whores.
As chairman of the House transportation committee, Alaska Congressman Don Young flew at least three times to upstate New York aboard a sleek jet owned by Robert Congel, an ambitious shopping mall developer seeking federal highway dollars.Sure, this guy is so dirty he gives corruption a bad name, bu at least he didn't have no $100,000 in his freezer. Of course, being from Alaska, this may be a moot point.
With Young’s help, Congel got millions of dollars to boost his dream of building the largest mall in North America. The veteran Republican congressman got something, too: more than $33,000 in political donations from Congel, his family and his associates.
For Young, the Congel story was hardly unusual. Time after time, Young approved millions of dollars for highway projects for people who in turn fattened his campaign coffers.
With money pouring in from transportation interests, Young amassed $6.5 million in political contributions from 2001 to 2005. Facing weak political opposition at home, he didn’t need much for his campaign. Instead, Young tapped his campaign fund to travel the country, often lavishly and in corporate jets, to meet with more developers and view their proposed highway projects.
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