Visclosky’s Earmarks and Fundraising Under Scrutiny

Democratic Rep. Pete Visclosky’s taste in pork has changed considerably amid a federal investigation into his office’s earmarking and fundraising practices, and that’s just one sign that the shy appropriator is adjusting to his new life in the spotlight of a Washington scandal.

Visclosky once earmarked millions of Pentagon dollars a year for private companies outside his home state of Indiana but now seeks cash only for public works, educational institutions and the National Guard in the Hoosier State.

“When they heard the federal footsteps coming, they dramatically altered their behavior,” Steve Ellis, vice president of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, told POLITICO.

Read more: (Jonathan Allen, “Visclosky’s Defense Earmarks Studied,” Politico, 10/27/09)