FOX 4 WFTX - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples News, WeatherCongressman Connie Mack in Washington hot seat
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New troubles for Southwest Florida Congressman Connie Mack...on the hot seat in Washington, D.C.
He's making news in the nation's 'biggest newspapers..The Washington Post..The New York Times.. All over a list of congressmen who might know something about a big waste of taxpayers' money.
Mack is one of the congressman who is being questioned by the House Ethics Committee about this land, and the road that was supposed to go here. You might remember the controversy: It's called coconut point...and somehow a whopping 10 million dollars got approved to pay for a big interchange there. That's just where the fingerpointing starts. Four in your corner wants to know what the congressman has to say about this and to the people he represents.
"Hello this is Patrick Nolan From Fox 4 News, can I speak with Congressman Mack, please?"
That request got me transferred me to his press secretary's voicemail.
I soon received his email from the press secretary with this statement from the congressman.
"We've been told that we may be a witness to an investigation of others, but we are, of course, not the subject of any investigation."
So I called back...and got voicemail again.
Since the congressman isn't saying much...Four In Your Corner did some digging to fill you in on what we know. And we're mapping it out for you.
A few years ago, Congressman Mack invited a congressman from Alaska, Don Young to Southwest Florida. Mack hosted a fundraiser for the Alaska Congressman...in the Coconut Point area.
A developer named Daniel Aronoff owns 10-thousand acres there, and he donated about $40,000 to the Alaska congressman...who then went to Washington to push Congress to spend ten million bucks on a new road near Aronoff's land.
Why would a congressman from Alaska care about a road in Southwest Florida?
The Alaska congressman Don Young says...Congressman Mack asked for the money.
Congressman Mack says he did not.
Congress refused to approve the road money with critics calling it a classic pork barrel project.
But mysteriously...when President Bush signed a bill into law, the money for the road was back in!
How? Four in your corner first asked Congressman Mack's office that for more than a year. His Chief Of Staff's answer:
"If your question is how did that happen, the short answer is i don't know. The press has been asking we just don't have the answers."
So we're asking again...this time we have to leave our questions on voicemail.
We haven't heard back from Congressman Mack or his press secretary. We will defintely let you know as soon as we do. When a reporter first approached the Alaska congressman about this issue. Two years ago, that congressman shared an obscene gesture.
Patrick Nolan
Fox 4 In Your Corner
