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Kerry letters aided embattled contractor
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sent 28 letters in behalf of a San Diego defense contractor who pleaded guilty last week to illegally funneling campaign contributions to the Massachusetts senator and four other congressmen.
Members of Congress often write letters supporting constituent businesses and favored projects. But as Democratic presidential front-runner, Kerry has promoted himself as one who has never been beholden to campaign contributors.
From 1996 through 1998, Kerry participated in a letter-writing campaign to free up federal funds for a missile system that defense contractor Parthasarathi "Bob" Majumder was trying to build for U.S. warplanes.
Kerry's letters were sent to fellow members of Congress -- and to the Pentagon -- while Majumder and his employees at Science and Applied Technology, Inc. were donating money to the senator, court records show.
During the three-year period, Kerry received about $25,000 from Majumder and his employees, according to Dwight L. Morris and Associates, which tracks campaign donations.
Documents say the contractor told his employees they needed to make political contributions for him to gain influence with members of Congress. He then reimbursed them with proceeds from government contracts.
Federal prosecutors initially determined that $13,000 of the donations were illegally reimbursed, but they now say that nearly all of the money was tainted. They said there was no evidence Kerry would have known that.
Asked what he did to repay the money, Kerry's campaign said Wednesday he had donated $13,000 to charity two days before the guilty plea. Kerry's campaign said Kerry's actions had nothing to do with the campaign contributions. One of the subcontractors working on the guided missile project, Militech, was based in Northampton, Mass.
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