Democrat challenger Joe Sestak takes 8 point lead in Pennsylvania's 7th DistrictWASHINGTON -- The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry.
The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Mr. Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said.
The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers' family each hired a firm co-owned by Mr. Weldon's daughter, Karen, for fees totaling nearly $1 million a year, public records show.
To Hell with Talking Points!
When Joe Sestak announced he was running for Congress, national Democrats and media consultants told him not to talk about pulling troops out of Iraq, arguing it would only encourage the image of Democrats as weak on national security. Sestak is leading 52-44 in the 7th District, according to a poll released by Majority Watch -- a partnership between RT Strategies, a bipartisan polling firm, and Constituent Dynamics, a Seattle-based company specializing in automated polling technology.
The poll of 1,017 likely voters was conducted Sunday through Tuesday and has a 3 percent margin of error.
Anyone in Pennsylvania's 7th District who is considering voting for Curt Weldon over Joe Sestak might want to read this first.
