Wicker’s Earmark Elicits Criticism

The Washington Post, 1/16/8

Sen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican congressman appointed to replace Trent Lott in December, last year obtained a $6 million earmark for a defense contractor whose executives were among his top campaign contributors and were represented in the matter by Wicker’s former congressional chief of staff, according to federal records.

Wicker’s earmark for Manassas-based Aurora Flight Science fits a pattern that recently attracted bipartisan criticism and gave rise to the most far-reaching ethics overhaul legislation in a generation: The firm retained the services of the congressman’s top aide after he passed through the revolving door to become a lobbyist, and its employees helped underwrite Wicker’s reelection.