Defense Contractor, Under Investigation for Bribery, Maxed Out to Young's Campaign, Gets $21 Million Earmark in Defense Bill

Taxpayers for Common Sense and the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative-leaning nonprofit, sent a letter to Bill Young, the ranking member of the House Appropriations committee, urging him to suspend millions of dollars in earmarks for BAE Systems.

The Department of Justice is investigating BAE Systems for alleged bribery in dealings with Saudi Arabia. According to news reports, BAE set up a slush fund with hundreds of millions of dollars in a Washington, D.C. bank to bribe Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan in order to win weapons contracts.

BAE gave Young the maximum $10,000 in his easy victory over unknown Democrat, Samm Simpson.

According to data compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense, seven earmarks worth $21 million are targeted at BAE programs in a House defense-spending bill.

The group says that 'the committee will be sending the message that the way to success in getting taxpayers’ money is to put your facilities in key congressional districts, give campaign donations to those congressmen, and hope the Congress rewards you despite an ongoing federal investigation regarding possible defrauding of the government and accusations of bribery."