Tom Casey: I just thought, in my opinion, it pressed the boundaries of what was ethical.
WASHINGTON - You may not have heard of him, but Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., is one of the most powerful members of Congress, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which controls hundreds of billions of dollars.
Tom Casey, CEO of the now-defunct computer software company Audre Inc., has told federal investigators what he says happened in 1993 when he asked for Lewis' help in getting money for the Pentagon to test software that converted engineering documents to computer formats.
Tom Casey: I just thought, in my opinion, it pressed the boundaries of what was ethical.
In an exclusive interview, Casey tells NBC News that after he made campaign contributions to House members of both parties, Lewis informed him the Pentagon would get $14 million for the testing, and that Casey even could write the language.
Lisa Myers: You were allowed to write language for an appropriations bill yourself?
Casey: Yes, I did. That was Congressman Lewis' suggestion.
this jerry lewis i really don't like
Tom Casey, CEO of the now-defunct computer software company Audre Inc., has told federal investigators what he says happened in 1993 when he asked for Lewis' help in getting money for the Pentagon to test software that converted engineering documents to computer formats.
Tom Casey: I just thought, in my opinion, it pressed the boundaries of what was ethical.
In an exclusive interview, Casey tells NBC News that after he made campaign contributions to House members of both parties, Lewis informed him the Pentagon would get $14 million for the testing, and that Casey even could write the language.
Lisa Myers: You were allowed to write language for an appropriations bill yourself?
Casey: Yes, I did. That was Congressman Lewis' suggestion.
this jerry lewis i really don't like
