Duke Cunningham

Congress Drags Feet, Impedes Cunningham Probe

Justin Rood | July 26, 2006, 2:17PM

It has been nearly five months since Justice Department prosecutors working the Duke Cunningham corruption case first requested information from three key House committees. To date, they haven't got a scrap of paper in return, nor a single interview with a staffer, Roll Call's John Bresnahan reports today.

In May, if you recall, anonymous Hill denizens whined to the media that if they really tried to comply, Congress would "shut down."

DoJ wants information stretching back to 1997, and requests that broad could lead them to knock on many new doors. Independent reports have already confirmed that as offshoots of the Cunningham probe, the DoJ is looking into Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Katherine Harris (R-FL), and possibly others, as well as former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) -- and, of course, Cunningham himself.

What would ten years of records and information about a corrupt congressman uncover? Apparently, that's for Congress to know, and the rest of America to wonder about -- for a while. Congress' August recess is coming up, which provides another reason for them to do nothing. Will Justice let them get away with it?

Brent Wilkes

Prosecutors Focus Sights on Wilkes

Paul Kiel | July 7, 2006, 8:06AM

Yep, we were right. Brent Wilkes, the Duke Cunningham sugar daddy still at large, is the focus of a federal grand jury investigation in San Diego.

According to the AP, who sources the news to two lawyers close to the investigation, the grand jury is meeting regularly. That means the feds are actively pushing to indict Wilkes, who received over $100 million in contracts after spreading over a million dollars in illegal cash and favors around Washington, as well as allegedly hosting poker parties and providing food, liquor and prostitutes to lawmakers and staff.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but if at any point Wilkes opts to plea out and cooperate with the investigation, a sweaty Washington summer will become exponentially sweatier for a number of lawmakers and their staff. Wilkes was the source of tens of thousands of dollars in questionable favors and contributions to Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), John Doolittle (R-CA), Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), as well as former lawmakers Tom DeLay and Duke Cunningham.

Wilkes has shown every sign of fighting any charges -- except for a cryptic comment buried in a recent Vanity Fair article about Cunningham. Wilkes' attorney, Nancy Luque, vigorously denies all the charges the magazine repeats about her client, but then adds: "He will not plead guilty, because he is not guilty. . . But he has offered to cooperate."

For the moment, however, Wilkes isn't lifting a finger, the magazine reports. And that's infuriating to federal prosecutors. "Incensed and invigorated, prosecutors are poring over his campaign contributions, and the Pentagon's inspector general is scrutinizing his contracts," VF says.