Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., won a $3.5 million earmark in the fiscal 2008 Defense spending bill for a cold-weather clothing system despite indicating to the House Appropriations Committee that the money was intended for Cassidy & Associates, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that does not manufacture textiles.

Not surprisingly, it turns out that the earmark, listed under Cassidy’s address in the formal request form, is actually for a Cassidy client, the Spartansburg, S.C., company of textile magnate Roger Milliken, an Inglis campaign donor.

“This is suggestive that the review of the Appropriations Committee isn’t as robust as they’re claiming it is,” said Keith Ashdown, chief investigator at Taxpayers for Common Sense, who alerted Congressional Quarterly to the oddly worded earmark-request letter.

“Why would you give a lobby shop an earmark for a defense project?” he asked.

Inglis spokesman Price Atkinson said naming Cassidy was a “clerical error” that was caught by aides to Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

Inglis’ office sent a substitute letter dated July 31 to the Appropriations Committee to clarify the recipient.