Lawmakers overseeing NSA receive millions from private intelligence contractors

[mother earth]

http://rt.com/usa/intelligence-contractors-fund-congress-220/

"In total, members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have received $3.7 million from top intelligence services contractors since January 1, 2005,” Shaw reported, suggesting that lawmakers in those offices may be a bit hesitant to scale back the nation’s intelligence operations and, in turn, cut funding to the very contractors that are helping their campaigns.

With regards to contractors who have benefited heavily from government opportunities, L-3 Communications has been awarded more than $46 billion in federal funds for an array of jobs they’ve undertaken during the course of their relationship with Washington, according to the USAspending.gov website. But as of last month, L-3 has also handed over around $238,145 to the Senate and House intelligence committees.

Even with more than a quarter of a million dollars going directly to the lawmakers in charge of monitoring the intelligence community that relies on L-3’s products and services, the communications firm is hardly the most generous. Lockheed Martin has made contributions to those intelligence committee members in one form or another to the tune of around $798,901, according to Shaw’s research, and Northrup Grumman, Honeywell International, and General Dynamics have each awarded those committee members at least $675k a piece.

And how is that money divvied up? The Maplight research reveals that Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Maryland) - the chairman of the House committee who also represents the district containing the NSA headquarters - is the largest recipient of intelligence contractor money, reaping in around $363,600 since 2005.

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Three words, conflict of interest?

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1. And?

Same as it was... Same as it ever was... - Talking Heads

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