Sept. 17, 2007 – 11:17 p.m.
More than a dozen House members from both parties have been served with subpoenas in the case of defense contractor Brent Wilkes, who is facing charges stemming from the bribery conviction of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.
The 13 lawmakers have joined forces behind the scenes to try to fight the wave of subpoenas they have received in recent days from an attorney for Wilkes.
A source familiar with discussions among the lawmakers and lawyers said they were organizing the joint effort on grounds that the subpoenas are overly broad requests for testimony and documents. Mark Geragos, Wilkes’ lawyer, has asked all of them for information related to Wilkes’ trial.
Five of the 13 lawmakers received subpoenas for both documents and testimony: Armed Services Chairman
The other lawmakers all received subpoenas that requested only testimony. They included Minority Whip
“They intend to fight the subpoenas,’’ the source said. “As we understand it, Wilkes’ lawyer is also trying to subpoena other government officials. The subpoenas say very little about what they are after.”
In floor statements posted late Monday, each of the lawmakers said that “after consultation with the Office of General Counsel” they “determined that compliance . . . is inconsistent with precedents and privileges of the House.”
Cunningham, R-Calif. (1991-2005), was sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting more than $2 million in bribes and helping Wilkes and another contractor secure federal business.