Conservative author Peter Schweizer says the military has become “the dumping ground” for what he calls the crony capitalism between lawmakers, their constituents, and campaign contributors.
Promoting his book, “Throw Them All Out,” Schweizer told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans alike are guilty of pushing spending into various defense programs as a way to reward their constituents and their supporters.
The reason, he said, is because, “The one area that in government, that people, the American people, still support a lot of spending on is in the military. So the military’s become this dumping ground now for this kind of crony capitalism.”
Schweizer cited a recent report about the Air Force buying 11,000 gallons of jet fuel refined from an alcohol base at a cost of $59 a gallon, when regular petroleum-based fuel sells for $3.60 a gallon.
The fuel was produced by a Colorado biofuels company reportedly backed by an investor who contributed generously to President Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates.
“It’s a problem where people say, ‘We want strong defense spending, we want a strong military,’” Schweizer continued, “and politicians use it as a dumping ground to help out their constituents and their supporters.”
The Air Force example, he said, is “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“This is something that has been a problem with both parties,” he added, citing another example of the Pentagon being pressured into purchasing oil drip pans at $17,000 a piece from a constituent company of a top Republican lawmaker.
The pans, he said, could have been bought on the open market for $2,500.
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