Joe Wilson

News that about $6 million in stimulus money preserved three jobs at campaigner Mark Penn’s firm has emboldened one Republican’s charge to audit recovery act spending.

Tweeted Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) twice on Wednesday:

Just completed one minute speech on House Floor promoting my bill for panel to audit stimulus bill because of fake jobs in fake districts

Verification of need for audit is The Hill today on front page discloses stimulus six million to Democratic pollster to save three jobs!

Wilson first announced his effort to audit stimulus dollars on Tuesday, citing concern that many of the jobs the White House claimed the recovery act saved or created were actually “fake.”

But the congressman seemed particularly enraged this morning after learning about $6 million was awarded to Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firmed owned by Penn that did work in conjunction with this year’s digital television transition.

Consequently, the legislation Wilson plans to introduce today — along with Reps. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) and Mark Souder (R-Ind.) — would investigate “how many jobs have actually been saved or created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; the circumstances in which those jobs have been saved or created; and, the effectiveness of measures taken to prevent the improper payment of funds,” according to Wilson’s office.

The Hill