The Daily MuckA memo written in March by the EPA’s chief enforcement officer claims that the EPA’s guidance document on wetlands policy is undermining the Clean Water Act. The memo was obtained by Greenpeace and released by two Democratic committee chairman, Henry Waxman (D-CA) and James Oberstar (D-MN). (Washington Post)
KBR, along with other contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, is planning on a major PR campaign to fight back against charges of corruption and malpractice. The campaign, run by former Republican staff director of the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee David Marin, plans to erase the “anti-contractor climate on Capitol Hill” through lobbying. (Politico)
A new disclosure form on an ethics law passed last year may do more harm than good in bringing sunlight to lobbyist activities. The form is said to have a large number of discrepancies that get in the way of ethics oversight. (Washington Post)
The new Office of Congressional Ethics in the House is supposed to open this week, but leadership for the office is yet to be nominated. If no one is nominated soon, no new ethics investigations will be able to start this election cycle. (Politico)
A nominee for a federal judgeship is refusing to withdraw his nomination, despite past accusations of plagiarism. The nominee, Michael O’Neill forfeited his tenure at George Mason when the allegations arose a year ago. He says he will not withdraw because he informed the White House and the FBI about the allegations before he was officially nominated. (Washington Post)
U.K government lawyers claim that the bribery investigation against BAE Systems was dropped due to security concerns, not monetary ones. The U.K. prosecutor in charge of the investigation claimed that he “had no choice” due to what he viewed as a severe threat to British security. BAE has been accused of improper dealings with Saudi weapons contracts. (Bloomberg)
A former official for the Department of Transportation in Connecticut has pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges. The official, who was previously assistant district engineer for southern Connecticut was charged with conspiracy to accept and solicit bribed. (AP)
A Utah state representative facing an impending ethics hearing has resigned. The representative, Republican Mark Walker, is accused of bribing his opponent in the race for state treasurer to drop out. (UPI)
