Peace groups call McCollum’s defense work a ‘betrayal’; GOP rival calls it ‘the swamp’
Without U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum’s advocacy, supporters say other states would benefit at Minnesota’s expense.
A day after the Minnesota Star Tribune reported on U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum’s powerful role in shaping Minnesota’s defense industry, peace activists say they feel deceived and her Republican opponent is criticizing her ties to a defense industry lobbyist.
Paul Wikstrom, who is running against McCollum in Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District, said McCollum “criticizes Pentagon waste while creating it” and alleged she acted unethically by supporting funding for a campaign donor and collaborating with a former staffer turned defense lobbyist.
“This is exactly the swamp Minnesotans are sick of,” Wikstrom said.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota chapter of Veterans for Peace called McCollum’s actions “a betrayal of the people of Minnesota,” and Women Against Military Madness is discussing whether to protest outside McCollum’s office, according to Sarah Martin, one of the group’s board memb…