Inhofe Attacks DeMint Over Earmarks

From Politico ~ Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe on Wednesday accused his Republican colleague Sen. Jim DeMint of taking a hypocritical stand opposing earmarks, saying that the South Carolina conservative previously directed money back home for a series of road projects.

In an unusual speech on the Senate floor, Inhofe took a swipe at DeMint – as well as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) – for their ferocity in opposing earmarks, saying: “These guys all earmarked.”

Inhofe went on to list individual earmarks DeMint has taken in the past, a sign of the tensions within the GOP Conference on the issue of spending on parochial interests.

“I went down to South Carolina, and they talked about how roads were so important down there, and he swore he would support them. He did. He kept his word,” said Inhofe, who supported an earmark moratorium DeMint proposed in 2008 but opposed a similar measure Tuesday.

“These are earmarks, Sen. DeMint, $10,000 for the construction of I-73 in Myrtle Beach. $15 million to widen U.S. 278 to six lanes. $10 million engineering design and construction of a poor access road. $10 million improvements to US-17. $5 million widening the SC-9, whatever that is. $3 million to complete the construction.

“These were earmarks that were done by Sen. DeMint, and I don’t blame him,” said Inhofe, who took issue with criticism that his support for earmarks imperiled his conservative standing. “That’s what we’re supposed to be doing.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34597.html#ixzz0iWKm47OK.

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