Murtha: Pork And Ethics Issues Surface

It appears that along with being one of the House's larger providers of pork for his district, now-outspoken anti-war Democrat, Rep. John Murtha could be playing a game designed to shield himself from a Congressional investigation for funneling significant amounts of money to companies associated with his brother, Lobbyist Kit Murtha.

From The Hill:

For the past three years, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has been the No. 1 beneficiary of defense campaign donations in the House and has not fallen below No. 3 for Congress as a whole.

"If you want anything done on the committee, you go to Murtha."

This from IBD

He's delivered so much pork to his congressional district, an airport and a major highway are named after Murtha.

Ashdown and his nonpartisan watchdog group criticized Murtha for using the $417 billion fiscal 2005 Pentagon spending bill to give business to his lobbyist brother. The Los Angeles Times in June reported that Murtha funneled nearly $21 million to 10 or more corporate clients of KSA Consulting, where Robert "Kit" Murtha is a senior partner. Carmen Scialabba, a Murtha congressional aide for 27 years, is also a high-ranking official at KSA.

In one case, a small Arkansas manufacturer of military vehicles who was a KSA client was awarded $1.7 million — triple its total sales for 2004. One defense contractor based in Murtha's home state of Pennsylvania even told the Times he hired KSA on the recommendation of a top Murtha aide.

Also, several significant references to Murtha here.

Most of KSA's defense contractor clients hired the firm in hopes of securing funding from Rep. Murtha's subcommittee, according to lobbying records and interviews. And most retained the firm after Kit Murtha became a senior partner in 2002.

Kit Murtha said he saw the congressman infrequently but acknowledged that his brother knew he worked for KSA.

"I don't think that influences him," he said. "I certainly would hope not."

He said he spoke to his brother only once about a client, soon after joining KSA, but said the congressman quickly broke off the conversation.

"He said, 'Hey, that's your client. You can't come to me on that,' " the lobbyist recalled.

Comments

[TheAlamo]

Makes you wonder why they have not investigated George Bush Senior who is partners with Bin Laden senior in Carlyle Oil. Like I said, they all stink, and they are all just entertainers keeping us arguing over semantics while they continue to rob us blind, stifle our freedom and kill our sons and daughters in their little conflicts.

If it is not detrimental to the national interest for Bush Sr. and Bin Laden Sr. to be partners in an international oil company, then Murtha is no more guilty of anything. Besides, in a country that did not give the death penalty to Bill Clinton for selling our military secrets to the communist Chinese for campaign contributions, it would be hypocritical to punish any government official for anything else.

[cindi in pa]

did not give the death penalty to Bill Clinton for selling our military secrets to the communist Chinese for campaign contributions
Posted by: TheAlamo | Dec 2, 2005 3:20:45 AM

shhhhhhhhh don't tell Hillary, old Bill will be sleeping on the sofa again!

[ma]

you're reaching, dan.

[callmeBetty]

OK. So Murtha is/was the "go-to" guy for defense appropriations contracts...big surprise? After a lifetime of support for the US Military, he is now being honest with himself and speaking out/ being critical of the Iraq movement. Not Al Qaeda, not Afghanistan. Iraq. Like all the other "flip floppers".......... Gawd, that's sooo High School. Vote no - you're soft on defense, vote yes, you're a patriot. Well hell, anyone running for public office IS or wants to be seen as patriotic and the yobs promoting the "optional use of force as a last resort" were painfully aware of that, banking on that particular virtue. Who could possibly object??? Based on what - "I don't trust these guys to do the right thing, so I'm not going to vote yes on your thinly veiled war proposal, which is based on 'rumors' of mass destruction." Yeah, that would go over real BIG. That'll happen when The Political Suicide Channel comes to a cable provider near you. Any takers? FOX?

Am I the only one frustrated by the 'Catch 22' parallels here? I really love Alan Arkin, (he's no Brad Pitt but still sexy in my book) 'The Russians Are Coming, The Russions Are Coming" was pretty funny too. When is it ever appropriate to question an on-going military intervention? Military budgets and expenditures? Never, and pity the poor fool who tries.

In this giant stew pot of a country, we have people formerly from All nations. We travel to other countries and if not in person, we can travel via the internet or TV. The one thing I've learned about international politics from talking to Real people from other countries, other political systems is that most people in the world are Not the government.... Maybe only 10% of all Russians are Communists etc. The rest are just regular people trying to make a living, have a family, stay alive. You can have a better quality of life if you are a Party member... better job, better apartment - maybe a country house, but 90% of the general population are stuck with things the Goverment does - just like the rest of us.

This is what bothers me. Real people suffering because of their government's actions. Those are the ones I care about, Muslims included. Anyone of us who CAN live peaceably without guns, lotto and marketing mediums, with our modest homes, low energy consumption lifestyles and socially responsible investment portfolios. We're not hurting you, or the planet so just STFU and leave us out of your madness. Oh, and if you nuke my house - I don't care. Better to live free or die.

You think you're supporting our troops ragging on Mr. Murtha? I'd be proud that I have a somewhat free country to come home to. Besides, the anti-war contingent is All For infrastructure and utility service repairs, reparations and clean-up of "hot" munitions left behind in our haste to scare the ever-elusive jihadistas into submission. Leave now? Bastards... they haven't even secured Afghanistan yet.

[Captain Joe]

John "Duke" Murtha is smoke screening a pork scandal.

[Sgt. York]

RE: "and has not fallen below No. 3 for Congress as a whole"

Who is #1 and #2?

============================

[cindi in pa]

Those 10 Men did not need to die for Georgie's lie...I really don't want to see another solider die for this stupid "war".

Posted by: klrclsr | Dec 2, 2005 3:59:52 PM

Take your ass to Iraq, tell our men and women this war is stupid.

[Godblessoursoldiers]

War is hell. SHIT HAPPENS. Its not pretty but when all you nay sayers see another attack on the USA then maybe you will shut the hell up.
No one wants to see people die. But..war is war and thats just the way it is. God bless all these hero's of all wars now and forever more.
Peace to all! The USA will prevail in Iraq and where ever their are terrorist all over the world. They must be stopped and we sure as hell are not chicken shit ! Our troops are brave men !
What they do now will be a blessing for generations to come. When you are dead and gone it should be a peaceful thought to know that your siblings and their siblings can live in a more peaceful world because of the USA !

[Godblessoursoldiers]

And while we are on the subject..
"God bless our President" , "George W.Bush" and God Bless our Country.
God bless our soldiers all over the world and their families !
R E M E M B E R ....9-11 and all the familes of these innocent people !
May all the terrorists as demented as they are burn in hell !

[TheAlamo]

What they do now will be a blessing for generations to come. When you are dead and gone it should be a peaceful thought to know that your siblings and their siblings can live in a more peaceful world because of the USA !

Posted by: Godblessoursoldiers | Dec 2, 2005 6:17:12 PM

I bet you were a cheerleader in high school, right?

[Godblessoursoldiers]

~This little guy from CT. is one of the most Democrats in office today. God bless him!

Our Troops Must Stay
Wall Street Journal Op-Ed

By Joe Lieberman

I have just returned from my fourth trip to Iraq in the last 17 months and can report real progress there. More work needs to be done, of course, but the Iraqi people are in reach of a watershed transformation from the primitive, killing tyranny of Saddam to modern, self-governing, self-securing nationhood unless the great American military that has given them and us this unexpected opportunity is prematurely withdrawn.

The progress in Iraq is visible and practical. In the Kurdish North, there is continuing security and growing prosperity. The primarily Shiite south remains largely free of terrorism, receives much more electric power and other public services than it did under Saddam, and is experiencing greater economic activity. The Sunni triangle, geographically defined by Baghdad on the East, Tikrit to the North, and Ramadi to the West, is where most of the terrorist enemy attacks occur. And yet here too, there is progress.

There are many more cars on the streets, satellite television dishes on the roofs, and literally millions more cell phones in Iraqi hands than before. All of that says the Iraqi economy is growing. And Sunni candidates are actively campaigning for seats in the National Assembly. People are working their way to a functioning society and economy in the midst of a very brutal, inhumane, sustained terrorist war against the civilian population and the Iraqi and American military there to protect it.

It is a war between 27 million and 10,000; 27 million Iraqis who want to live lives of freedom, opportunity, and prosperity and roughly 10,000 terrorists who are either Saddam “revengists,” Iraqi Islamic extremists, or al-Qaeda foreign fighters, and know their wretched causes will be set back if Iraq becomes free and modern. They are intent on stopping this by instigating a civil war that will produce the chaos that will allow Iraq to replace Afghanistan as the base for their fanatical war-making in the Islamic world. We are fighting on the side of the 27 million because the outcome of this war is critically important to the security and freedom of America. If the terrorists win, they will be emboldened to strike us directly again and to further undermine the growing stability and progress in the Middle East, which has long been a major American national and economic security priority.

Before going to Iraq last week, I visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israel has been the only genuine democracy in the region, but is now getting some welcome company from the Iraqis and Palestinians who are in the midst of robust national legislative election campaigns, the Lebanese who have risen up in proud, self-determination after the Hariri assassination to eject their Syrian occupiers (the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militias should be next), and the Kuwaitis, Egyptians, and Saudis who have taken steps to open up their governments more broadly to their people. In my meeting with the thoughtful prime minister of Iraq, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, he declared with justifiable pride that Iraq now has the most open, democratic political system in the Arab world. He is right.

In the face of terrorist threats and escalating violence, eight million Iraqis voted for their interim national government in January, almost 10 million participated in the referendum on their new Constitution in October, and even more than that are expected to vote in the elections for a full term government on Dec. 15. Every time the 27 million Iraqis have been given the chance since Saddam was overthrown, they vote for self-government and hope over the violence and hatred the 10,000 terrorists offer them. Most encouraging has been the behavior of the Sunni community which, when disappointed by the proposed Constitution, registered to vote and went to the polls instead of taking up arms and going to the streets. Last week, I was thrilled to see a vigorous political campaign going on in Iraq and a large number of independent television stations and newspapers covering it.

None of these remarkable changes in Iraq would have happened if Coalition Forces, lead by the U.S., had not overthrown Saddam Hussein. And, I am convinced, almost all of the progress in Iraq and throughout the Middle East will be lost if those forces are withdrawn faster than the Iraqi military is capable of securing the country.

The leaders of Iraq’s duly elected government understand this, and asked me for reassurance about America’s commitment to Iraq. The question is whether the American people and enough of their representatives in Congress from both parties understand this. I am disappointed by Democrats who are more focused on how President Bush took America into the war in Iraq almost three years ago, and Republicans who are more worried about whether the war will bring them down in next November’s elections, than they are concerned about how we continue the progress in Iraq in the months and years ahead.

Here is an ironic finding I brought back from Iraq. While public opinion polls in the U.S. show serious declines in support for the war and increasing pessimism about how it will end, polls conducted by Iraqis for Iraqi universities show increasing optimism. Two-thirds say they are better off than they were under Saddam and a resounding 82% are confident their lives in Iraq will be better a year from now than they are today. What a colossal mistake it would be for America’s bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will, and in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory.

The leaders of America’s military and diplomatic forces in Iraq, Gen. George Casey and Ambassador Zal Khalilzad, have a clear vision of our mission there. It is to create the environment in which Iraqi democracy, security, and prosperity can take hold and the Iraqis themselves can defend their political progress against those ten thousand terrorists who would take it from them.

Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes we do. And it is important to make it clear to the American people that the plan has not remained stubbornly still but has changed over the years. Mistakes, some of them big, were made after Saddam was removed, and no one who supports the war should hesitate to admit that; but we have learned from those mistakes and, in characteristic American fashion, from what has worked and not worked on the ground in Iraq. The administration’s recent use of the banner “clear, hold, and build” accurately describes the strategy as I saw it being implemented last week.

We are now embedding a core of Coalition Forces in every Iraqi fighting unit which makes each unit more effective and acts as a multiplier of our forces. Progress in “clearing” and “holding” is being made. The Sixth Infantry Division of the Iraqi Security Forces now controls and polices more than one-third of Baghdad on its own. Coalition and Iraqi forces have together cleared the previously terrorist controlled cities of Fallujah, Mosul, and Talafar and most of the border with Syria. Those areas are now being “held” secure by the Iraqi military themselves. Iraqi and Coalition Forces are now jointly carrying out a mission to clear Ramadi, now the most dangerous city in Al-Anbar province at the west end of the Sunni Triangle.

Nationwide, American military leaders estimate that about one-third of the approximately 100,000 members of the Iraqi military are able to “lead the fight” themselves with logistical support from the U.S. and that that number should double by next year. If that happens, American military forces could be able to begin to drawdown in numbers proportional to the increasing self-sufficiency of the Iraqi forces in 2006. If all goes well, I believe we can have a much smaller American military presence there by the end of 2006 or in 2007, but it is also likely that our presence will need to be significant in Iraq or nearby for years to come.

The economic reconstruction of Iraq has gone slower than it should have, and too much money has been wasted or stolen. Amb. Khalilzad is now implementing reform that has worked in Afghanistan—Provincial Reconstruction Teams composed of American economic and political experts working in partnership in each of Iraq’s 18 provinces with its elected leadership, civil service, and the private sector. That is the “build” part of the “clear, hold, and build” strategy, and so is the work American and international teams are doing to professionalize national and provincial governmental agencies in Iraq.

These are new ideas that are working and changing the reality on the ground which is undoubtedly why the Iraqi people are optimistic about their future and why the American people should be too.

I cannot say enough about the U.S. Army and Marines who are carrying most of the fight for us in Iraq. They are courageous, smart, effective, innovative, very honorable and very proud. After a Thanksgiving meal with a great group of Marines at Camp Fallujah in western Iraq, I asked their commander whether the morale of his troops had been hurt by the growing public dissent in America over the war in Iraq. His answer was insightful, instructive, and inspirational: “I would guess that if the opposition and division at home go on a lot longer and get a lot deeper it might have some effect but, Senator, my Marines are motivated by their devotion to each other and the cause, not by political debates.”

Thank you, General. That is powerful, needed message for the rest of America and its political leadership at this critical moment in our nation’s history. Semper Fi.

Mr. Lieberman is a Democratic senator from Connecticut

[Godblessoursoldiers]

Posted by: TheAlamo | Dec 2, 2005 10:57:59 PM
---------------------------------------

~and....I bet you have been a "jerk" most all your life~

[iquitos]

dan, is this not how business is done in dc on both sides of the aisle. we need a cap on defense spending. lotta waste and mismanagement there.

[Dan]

dan, is this not how business is done in dc on both sides of the aisle. we need a cap on defense spending. lotta waste and mismanagement there.

Yes, well if we want to get rid of the waste in DC, we'd have to start with most all of the politicians.

[TheAlamo]

Posted by: TheAlamo | Dec 2, 2005 10:57:59 PM
---------------------------------------

~and....I bet you have been a "jerk" most all your life~

Posted by: Godblessoursoldiers | Dec 2, 2005 11:26:34 PM

Why did you change your handle from ! ?
You are quite obvious whatever handle you use. All three sentences...every time!!
Then again, I guess it is a good idea for you to change since your line is always the same. This way people will think you can think....well, some of them might think that, but as soon as you post, the cat is out of the bag.

Got your pom-poms tonight?

[Captain Joe]

Amen the that.
##############

War is hell. SHIT HAPPENS. Its not pretty but when all you nay sayers see another attack on the USA then maybe you will shut the hell up.
No one wants to see people die. But..war is war and thats just the way it is. God bless all these hero's of all wars now and forever more.
Peace to all! The USA will prevail in Iraq and where ever their are terrorist all over the world. They must be stopped and we sure as hell are not chicken shit ! Our troops are brave men !
What they do now will be a blessing for generations to come. When you are dead and gone it should be a peaceful thought to know that your siblings and their siblings can live in a more peaceful world because of the USA !
Posted by: Godblessoursoldiers | Dec 2, 2005 6:17:12 PM
And while we are on the subject..
"God bless our President" , "George W.Bush" and God Bless our Country.
God bless our soldiers all over the world and their families !
Posted by: Godblessoursoldiers | Dec 2, 2005 6:27:25 PM

R E M E M B E R ....9-11 and all the familes of these innocent people !
May all the terrorists as demented as they are burn in hell !

[junius]

Time Magazine Baghdad bureau chief Michael Ware showed the absurdity of Liberman's comments when he said: "I and some other journalists had lunch with Senator Joe Lieberman the other day and we listened to him talking about Iraq. Either Senator Lieberman is so divorced from reality that he's completely lost the plot or he knows he's spinning a line. Because one of my colleagues turned to me in the middle of this lunch and said he's not talking about any country I've ever been to and yet he was talking about Iraq, the very country where we were sitting."

[klrclsr]

Take your ass to Iraq, tell our men and women this war is stupid.

Posted by: cindi in pa | Dec 2, 2005 5:49:11 PM

I think it would be more appropriate for the beasty boys to do that, George, Dick and Don.

You are confused my issue is not with the brave man and women of our armed forces. The issue is we have a bunch of liars running the country for their own self aggrandizement.

"I can hear it now, no it isn't a .50 word it is a $2.0 word."

We went to war in Iraq on false pretenses, the war was fought and is still being fought in Afganistan..we hardly ever hear what those poor soliders are going through. p.s. This is where Osama Bin Laden is..get it.

[Moronsmakemesick]

You bleeding heart liberals have no clue about anything to do with the war or anything else for that matter. All you enjoy doing is spewing garbage out of your mouths. Get a clue, get a life.