Hookergate Limo Co Involved in Grand Jury Investigation By Paul Kiel - June 15, 2006, 12:31 PM
Some news from the House Homeland Security Committee's hearings on Shirlington Limousine's $21 million contract with DHS. Shirlington, you'll remember was the company reported to have run lawmakers and hookers to and from Brent Wilkes' "poker parties."
Justin, who's at the hearing this afternoon, just called to say that Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chairman of the subcommittee on Management, Integration, and Oversight, said in his opening statement that "we also invited the president and vice president of Shirlington Limousine to appear today, but they declined because of a federal grand jury investigation."
Last we heard, the FBI was probing the company's involvement, but the investigation had not progressed to the stage of a grand jury. So it seems things are moving along.
The second bit of news is that according to Homeland Security chair Peter King (R-NY) and the ranking Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Duke Cunningham vouched for the company in a letter to DHS officials when they were lobbying for the contract. That's according to a signed affidavit from Shirlington President Christopher Baker.
Cunningham, of course, is the only lawmaker so far reported to have been with the prostitutes provided by Mitchell Wade and - allegedly - Brent Wilkes.
Apparently when both committee asked DHS to produce Cunningham's letter, they said they had no record of it. So we'll be hearing more about it.