Thursday, September 20, 2007
Murtha Madness Never Ends
Congressman John Murtha, the Democrat from Pennsylvania - the guy who jumped the gun and called U.S. Marines "murderers" in Haditha, before their trial had even begun - has now been deemed one of the most CORRUPT members of Congress by CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The Tribune Democrat reports:
U.S. Rep. John Murtha, the chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has been named one of the most corrupt in Congress by a watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable.
The nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named the Johnstown Democrat in its third annual report issued Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
[...]
Murtha, 75, a congressman for 36 years, was chosen because of alleged ethics violations stemming “from abuse of his position on the subcommittee to benefit the lobbying firm of a former long-term staffer and for threatening to block earmarks of other members for political purposes,” the group said.
Murtha, through his spokesman Matthew Mazonkey, declined to comment.
Last year, Murtha was a listed as a “dishonorable member” to be watched, but he “moved up this year,” said Melanie Sloan, CREW executive director. The Associated Press recently said Murtha receive more earmarks - money designated for projects in his home district - than anyone else.
Pushing him up onto the list, Sloan said, was Murtha’s “threatening a House member for criticizing earmarks. That’s a clear violation of House ethics.”
Cleland, a triple amputee and Vietnam veteran, said he has stepped down from the board of the Pennsylvania Association for Individuals with Disabilities.
“I’m not associated with PAID,” Cleland said Tuesday. “I am not interested in pursuing that relationship at all.”
Murtha spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said Murtha would not comment on the situation.
The news comes barely a month after Cleland and Carmen V. Scialabba, PAID founder and a former Murtha aide, announced Cleland was joining the board.
The Murtha Pièce de résistance, is undoubtedly the below video, where Murtha refused to answer if he would apologize to the Marines he so eagerly jumped to conclude were "guilty of a bloodbath" in Haditha. (H/T: AGJ).
Labels: Murtha
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