It is rather amazing in the world of politics how individuals and companies that donate campaign funds suddenly get lucrative contracts awarded by the very politicians they help elect.
Take former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, for example. The current Secretary of Transportation seems to have done just that for the people and companies that contributed to the Political Action Committee funding his campaign.
Buttigieg’s political action committees took money from 23 companies who then got jobs from South Bend’s Board of Public Works whose members he appointed, documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal.
On two occasions, the former presidential candidate received donations the same day the companies were awarded contracts.
Other city contractors gifted the mayor cigars, alcohol, and golf trips worth hundreds of dollars.
The companies, their executives, and spouses donated a total of $253,750 to Buttigieg’s campaigns and received a total of at least $33,310,426 in city contracts between 2011 and 2019.
Oops. The people probably weren’t supposed to dig that information out of the records.
This, though, is an issue that is being examined in large part because as Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg is about to have control of a lot more in the way of infrastructure funds to distribute.
Government watchdogs say the pattern of donations and contracts could present the appearance of a “pay to play” scandal – and raises concerns over the $210 billion earmarked in the bipartisan infrastructure bill for Buttigieg to dish out in discretionary grants as transport secretary, part of a $1.2trillion budget.
‘The pattern of contracts and donations appears to be a huge conflict of interest,’ Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams told DailyMail.com.
‘This really doesn’t bode well for the secretary of transportation when he has access to almost $1.2trillion in infrastructure money.
‘This is alarming, and very concerning because this is the swamp personified. You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to look at this and think that something’s wrong here.
‘Was there a quid pro quo? Was there some sort of backroom deal for these projects? taxpayers deserve answers.’
According to the people in South Bend, Buttigieg had no hand in contract awards, and the Department of Transportation claims that the bidding process is transparent, but the records are clear. The people who donate tend to get government contracts.
Pay to play? If it walks like a duck…
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