Following the Money with the House Armed Services Committee

By Bryan Rahija

POGO's Nick Schwellenbach follows up on a fundraiser for the "Lucky 13":

In February, word of a fundraiser for 13 House Republican freshmen lawmakers got out – first reported by Bloomberg-Government. Dubbing themselves the “Lucky 13,” these lawmakers are all on the influential House Armed Services Committee, which authorizes spending and creates policy for the Defense Department. A fundraising body controlled by the chairman of the committee, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), organized the fundraiser for the Lucky 13 and solicited campaign contributions from defense contractor political action committees, or PACs.

Turns out the funding drive was pretty lucrative, based on recently released quarterly filings with the Federal Election Commission. But what's perhaps more interesting is the filings also show how McKeon is using money – raised through defense contractor contributions – to curry favor within the Republican membership of his committee.

Read his full analysis on Battleland, TIME's new defense blog.

Bryan Rahija edits POGO's blog.