Chairman Burn Calls on Toomey to Stop Hiding Earmark Requests

Toomey Caught Funneling $3 Million to Top Donor, Refuses to Release Records
Harrisburg, PA — Today, Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn called on Pat Toomey to stop hiding the earmark requests he made as a member of Congress. Chairman Burn’s request came after Pet Toomey was caught funneling $3 million to his top donor through an earmark. Chairman Burn sent a letter and held a conference call with reporters, outlining his request for full transparency Congressman Toomey.

“Where there is smoke there is fire,” said Chairman Jim Burn. “We’ve already learned about one earmark that Toomey used to benefit his largest donor. What else is there? What is he hiding? It’s time to come clean with voters.”

Yesterday, a Philadelphia Inquirer story revealed that Toomey secured at least $9 million in earmarks during his first term in office, including $3 million for a private company that was his largest campaign donor despite the fact that Toomey has made his opposition to earmarks a central part of his campaign. 

After the ethically plagued years of Pat Toomey and Republican leaders like Tom Delay who used their elected positions for their own personal gain, Democrats brought a new level of transparency to Congress by requiring all earmark requests to be placed online for the public to review.

Joe Sestak led the way for increased transparency, becoming one of the first members to put his requests online before it became a rule.

FULL LETTER SENT TO TOOMEY THIS MORNING:

Dear Congressman Toomey,

As the U.S. Senate campaign is entering the homestretch, political accusations have certainly flown back and forth.

Although we come from different sides of the aisle, I would hope that you share our belief in the importance of transparency in the political process.

I was surprised to read in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer that you had requested earmarks for for-profit companies that were major campaign donors – an issue that you have raised throughout this campaign, without revealing your own role in the process.

I ask you today to come clean with Pennsylvania voters and release the complete records of earmarks that you requested during your 6 years in Congress. On behalf of Pennsylvania voters, I ask that you release the name of the proposed earmark recipient, the amount of the request and the justification of the request. This is the same information that Admiral Sestak has made public for his requests, establishing himself as a leader in Congress on transparency.

As you know, during your time in Congress, your earmark requests were made in secret, behind closed doors. This means that Pennsylvania voters and media cannot access your records, unless you choose to make them available.

Given your professed commitment to earmark reform, I would hope that you choose the path of transparency.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn

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