Murtha decries 'swift boat-style' attacks on ethics

[ProSense]

Murtha decries 'swift boat-style' attacks on ethics

POSTED: 10:08 p.m. EST, November 14, 2006

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. John Murtha, the anti-war congressman who is the likely new House speaker's pick for majority leader, fended off what he called "swift boat-style attacks" on his ethics record Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania Democrat also blasted his rival for majority leader, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, for siding with President Bush on Iraq.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who as the House Democratic leader is in line to be the next speaker, has backed Murtha against Hoyer, who is currently the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives.

Snip...

The Maryland congressman also rebutted Murtha's accusation that he backed the war, saying he has sided with Democratic calls for a "phased redeployment" of U.S. troops.

Snip...

"How can Americans believe that the Democrats will return integrity to the House when future Speaker Pelosi has endorsed an ethically challenged member for a leadership position?" Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, asked in a written statement. "Rep. Murtha is the wrong choice for this job."

Murtha told ABC in October that his brother "was treated like everybody else."

Murtha also turned up in the FBI's Abscam investigation in 1980, when undercover agents offered bribes to several members of Congress. Murtha was videotaped turning down a bribe "at this point," and he was not charged.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Murtha -- who just won an 18th term -- blasted critics who raised concerns about "unfounded allegations that occurred 26 years ago."

more...

[acmejack]

1. I'm not sure he can paint CREW as a swiftboat style entity.

I like Murtha as much as anyone, especially when compared to Steny & his Bluedog mores, but I have to tell you I am very concerned about even the appearance of impropriety (and the attendant hypocrisy).

[Virginia Dare]

3. Agreed....

The American people's government has been stolen away from them, and sold to the lobbying industry. This is not a partisan problem, it is systemic. I don't accept the apologists who say that "everybody is doing it". The Democratic Party needs to take a zero tolerance policy on this sort of thing. I'm not holding my breath though.

[mucifer]

2. Nice try Murtha. Melanie Sloan and CREW have a great reputation and mostly

go after repubs because they are more corrupt. She also goes after dems. She was on Franken yesterday as she is weekly. Al was trying to joke with her and she was not amused. She takes her job very seriously and we should be glad she is fighting for ethics everywhere. She is great.

Here's CREW's website

http://www.citizensforethics.org/about/whoweare.php

[sandnsea]

4. Where's her attack on Steny Hoyer?

Anybody can be used. I saw her say Democrats didn't get her the Foley email, yet they came from an employee of HRC. She knew where they came from. HRC has not always taken the side of the grassroots in recent years. I wish I could remember which election it was, but they sided with the DC insider. Just because some group puts 'ethics' in their name, doesn't mean they aren't a tool.

[mucifer]

5. Check out Sloan's history and the amazing things she has done to

Delay, Ney, Cunningham, Abramoff and many more repbubs. To call her a swiftboater in my opinion is very simplistic. Here is a list of things CREW has been working on recently:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/activities/index.php

[sandnsea]

7. Oh gosh, they're Repubs!!

Smacks head.

So let me see - she goes after all these Repubs, that benefits, uhm... the Democratic Party. THEN, she goes after select Democrats that benefits, uhm... the DLC wing of the Democratic Party.

But somehow or other, I'm not supposed to question whether she has underlying allegiances.

You really think it's not possible that there's Democratic money behind some of these groups - just like there's Republican money behind Grover Norquist type groups??

[mucifer]

8. hmmmm it couldn't be that she's after THE TRUTH??

[sandnsea]

12. Coincidentally

The truth about Repubs and potential opponents of Hillary.

[tnlefty]

6. What should she be attacking Hoyer for?

I'm not being coy, I just want to know if it is the same type of issues and what I should go looking for.

[sandnsea]

10. Lobbyist stuff

For starters.

"Over the last year and a half, Hoyer—a protégé of Tony Coelho, the former California congressman who revolutionized Democratic fundraising in the 1980s—has led an aggressive effort to raise money from K Street lobbyists. Even more important, he has seemed unwilling to fundamentally rethink the unhealthy relationship between lobbyists and legislators that currently drives our political system."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0611.roth.html

[mucifer]

11. Sloan mentioned this Hoyer info on Franken's show yesterday.

[sandnsea]

13. Find me an article

I haven't seen one article where they've gone after Hoyer. They're in charge of their press releases - where are the ones about Hoyer??

[tnlefty]

15. Thanks.

Now I'm off to bang my head against a wall.

[hlthe2b]

14. Re: Crew and Hoyer...

What bothered me when I heard Al's interview with Melanie Sloane (CREW) was that when they prepared the top list of "most corrupt" in Congress, they reviewed the public record and it appears, did no primary research. When asked about Hoyer, she admitted she didn't know anything about him, but that nothing had popped up in the "records." Well, Murtha has had a much longer career and has been under recent attack for his speaking out against the administration. It goes to reason, therefore, that the "public record" would be far more complete for Murtha than Hoyer (and many more members of Congress, who just might warrant being in the top 10 0r 20 "most corrupt")

I like CREW, but this bothered me, when I heard it. There does not appear to be a level playing field...

[tnlefty]

17. From what I saw Murtha isn't even in the top 20 list.

He's in the honorable mention list among a larger list of repubs. www.beyonddelay.org and I'm not sure that I have the stomach to read everything on the top 20.

I may have to try it in small doses.

[ProSense]

19. Their major complaint is that

his brother got special treatment:

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)
John Murtha is a seventeenth-term member of Congress, representing the 12th district of Pennsylvania. His ethics issues stem from abuse of his position as Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee to benefit clients of his brother, Robert “Kit” Murtha, a registered lobbyist.

KSA Consulting

In 2002, Kit Murtha was hired by KSA Consulting, a firm that lobbies the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee on behalf of defense contractors. Mr. Murtha joined the firm at the invitation of top KSA official Carmen Scialabba, who had worked for Rep. Murtha on the House Appropriations Committee for 27 years.

In 2004, Congress passed a $417 billion defense appropriations bill that went through Rep. Murtha’s subcommittee. The bill benefitted at least 10 companies represented by KSA and KSA directly lobbied Rep. Murtha’s office on behalf of seven of those companies, which received a total $20.8 million in earmarks.

PMA Group

Paul Magliocchetti worked with Rep. Murtha as a senior staffer on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense for 10 years. After leaving the committee, Mr. Magliocchetti founded the PMA Group, which has become one of the most prominent Washington, D.C. defense lobbying firms. In the current campaign cycle, the PMA Group and 12 of the firm’s clients rank in the top 20 contributors to Rep. Murtha, having made campaign contributions totaling $274,649. In turn, many of PMA’s clients have benefited significantly from Rep. Murtha’s earmarks. In the 2006 Defense appropriations bill, PMA clients received at least 60 earmarks, totaling $95.1 million.

House ethics rules prohibit members from taking any official actions for the prospect of personal gain for themselves or anyone else. In addition, Rule XXIII of the House Ethics Manual requires all members of the House to conduct themselves “at all times in a manner that reflects creditably on the House.” By earmarking funds for companies represented by Kit Murtha and Paul Magliocchetti, Rep. Murtha has violated House rules.

It seems pretty lame to me!

[madrchsod]

9. one must demand that politicians be as pure as driven snow

one must demand that they have not done one thing in there lives that one would consider improper. if a candidate or a sitting member of congress does not meet this criteria then they should be removed or voted out in the primaries.

[mucifer]

16. when Sloan goes after Hoyer, which she will, will you guys quit

bashing her?

[msongs]

18. how about a third choice? nt

[xxqqqzme]

20. Is Hoyer a dlc Democrat?