Katherine Harris
Katherine Harris (R-FL) has come under media scrutiny for her connections to corrupt defense contractor Mitchell Wade, founder and former president of defense and homeland security contractor MZM, Inc. Harris was implicated in Wade’s February 2006 plea agreement as “Representative B.” In the plea agreement Wade admitted to making illegal contributions to Harris' campaign, and speaking with her about directing federal money to MZM for a naval counterintelligence program.
Harris, who represents Florida’s 13th Congressional District, is currently running a campaign for the seat of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-FL). The Republican primary, which is fielding three other candidates, is September 5th.
Follow news updates about Harris and her connections to Wade and MZM at TPMmuckraker.
Key Points:
MZM topped Harris' 2004 election cycle donor list.
Harris received $32,000 in illegal campaign contributions from defense contractor Wade. She received an additional $10,000 in contributions from MZM’s political action committee. In his plea agreement, Wade admitted that he thought the donations to Harris would help MZM win government contracts, and that Harris and her staff did not know the contributions were illegal. A source close to the Wade investigation says that Harris requested the naval counterintelligence funding but it was denied.
Harris maintains that she never knew the $32,000 Wade gave her were illegal “straw contributions” from MZM employees and their spouses – contributions for which Wade reimbursed them. Many of the checks signed by MZM employees were written on the same day, March 23, 2004.
Wade paid for two dinners with Harris, which cost a combined $6,100.
Gifts over $50 to a U.S. Representative are required to be reported formally to the FEC. Wade paid for two dinners with Harris at Citronelle, a ritzy DC restaurant. Harris did not report either gift, though the first, in March 2004, cost $2,800 and the second, in March 2005, cost $3,300. It was during a meeting at Citronelle in March of 2004 that Wade passed the $32,000 in straw checks to Harris, many of which were signed on the same day for the same amount, $2,000. After this first dinner, she wrote him a note thanking him for the dinner in which she asked him to tell her "ever be of assistance". Harris has since said that she gave $100, the amount she says was her share of the $2,800 tab, to charity after her meeting with Wade came to light.
Federal Investigators Have Interviewed Two Harris Staffers.
Both Harris' former Senate campaign manager, Ed Rollins, and her former chief of staff, Fred Asbell, have spoken with federal investigators about her connections to MZM and Mitchell Wade.
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