Inouye rewarded by lobbyist for his support of the F-22

There is an interesting parallel between recent AP articles about Senator Inouye’s earmarks going to major contributors to his campaign and his support for the F-22 fighter jet.   Tony Podesta, one of Washington’s top lobbyists, who lobbied for funding for the F-22, held fundraisers for three of only four Democrats who voted to continue funding for the F-22 despite threats of a veto by the President.  In the Huffington Post article “Tony Podesta: Turning Change Into Dollars“, Aurthur Delaney writes:

The president threatened to veto a defense spending bill unless lawmakers stripped $1.75 billion in funding for unneeded F-22 fighter jets. In July, the Senate voted 58 to 40 to kill the funding after an intense industry lobbying effort.

Despite the veto threat, fourteen Democrats voted to keep funding the F-22. In the springtime, the Podestas set up fundraisers for three of them: Patty Murray (Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), and Daniel Inouye (Hawaii). The Feinstein fundraiser was canceled, however, after the invitation listing Feinstein’s committees as the different courses of a meal was made public. (Guests who made contributions between $1,000 and $2,500 could order up Feintstein’s “Select Committee on Intelligence for the first course” and “your choice of Appropriations, Judiciary or Rules committees” for other courses.)