(TOMS RIVER, May 16) – On May 13, The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story discussing serious conflicts of interest that Chris Myers – Vice President of new business development and acquisition at Lockheed Martin – would face if elected to Congress. The possibility of these conflicts of interest became a reality when Chris Myers went on the record saying, “Building solid walls is not the answer…people will just dig under them.” Myers also stated that cameras, sensors, and aircraft are the “best border defense against illegal immigration.”

Kelly added, “Myers’ opposition to the border fence is so out of touch with – not only the Republican Party – but mainstream America. HR 6061 (Secure Fence Act of 2006) passed through the House of Representatives by a 283-138 vote. I wonder if Myers would have sided with Nancy Pelosi or the American public when voting on the Secure Fence Act of 2006.”

Furthermore, as reported in the May 13 article, Lockheed Martin executives make up 18 percent of Myers’ contributions as reported at the last filing deadline and that raised serious questions among public advocacy groups. According to Mary Boyle, spokeswoman for the citizens’ lobbying group Common Cause, “This is the danger with any special-interest contribution to a campaign. It raises the specter of who is this person loyal to? We want elected officials to be responsive to their constituents. When there is a single entity paying for 20 percent of a campaign, that’s a question we are going to ask.”

Jack Kelly stated, “We didn’t have to wait long for that conflict of interest to rear its head.”

According to Lockheed Martin’s web site, they are “working with the Department of Homeland Security to secure our borders through upgrading and integrating border control technology and infrastructure.”

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/capabilities/homeland_security/border_security/index.html

One example of the “technology” Myers may be talking about is the High Altitude Airship which is an un-manned lighter than air vehicle that could assist in surveillance along the border. According to Defense Industry Daily, Myers’ employer was awarded a $149.2 million contract for this project.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/lockheed-wins-1492m-contract-for-high-altitude-airship-updated-01607/

Furthermore, in 2006, the federal government awarded Boeing with a contract for SBInet which is a secure borders initiative. That contract has a base of three years and could lead to a six year contract. While the original contract was given to Boeing, leaving many in the industry surprised, Lockheed Martin was one of the other top candidates to land the $2 billion contract. If the federal government is not happy with the work done by Boeing in 2009 (see below link for “success” Boeing has had building “virtual fence”), they could open the contract to more bids, leaving Lockheed Martin as the potential front runner to obtain the contract.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703747_pf.html

“If Chris Myers is in Congress and Lockheed Martin is bidding for any contract – in this case one to use technology to secure the border – how could Chris take part in this process in any way, shape, or form? The residents of the Third Congressional District deserve to have a Congressman who can objectively focus on issues important to them. How do we know if Chris Myers would stand with the tax payers or his corporate buddies who have gotten rich by corrupting the system in Washington DC?” Kelly asked.

Kelly continued, “How do we know SBInet will not result in a third failed attempt at relying solely on technology to secure our border? In the past we have had two programs scrapped because of mismanagement and inconsistent performance – the Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System (ISIS) and America’s Shield Initiative. While I encourage the federal government to invest in the private sector we must begin with securing our border with a physical fence. Congress should appropriate zero dollars to any other program until the fence is completely funded.”

Kelly concluded, “We are just beginning to scratch the surface of how Chris Myers – who is funded by special interest money – will be able to make objective decisions as a Congressman. I must make it clear that I am not attacking Lockheed Martin. However, the reality is that Chris Myers would often find himself in a pickle when helping to decide if the people who have made him rich over the years would get richer or if he would act in the best interest of the tax payer. It’s not worth the gamble.”

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