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The Office of Congressional Ethics has closed its investigation into Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.) and their relationships to the lobbying firm PMA Group, and the OCE advised against a formal House ethics investigation, the lawmakers’ offices said Friday. George Behan, Dicks’ chief of staff, said the OCE, which reviews potential rules violations and refers investigations to the House ethics committee, informed the Washington lawmaker on Dec. 2 that it had recommended the inquiry be dismissed. “In his case, there was never anything there,” Behan said. Murtha spokesman Matt Mazonkey and Moran spokeswoman Emily...

Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) campaign has asked the Democrats’ reelection arm to write a memo detailing how he can use funds in his campaign account if he retires. The request from an assistant to Murtha’s Chief of Staff John Hugya was made in late October, after the Appropriations subcommittee Murtha chairs passed the defense-spending bill. Word of the request has made its way around Democratic circles in recent weeks and is spurring talk that Murtha is planning to leave at the end of this Congress. A House ethics investigation of Murtha and the longtime lawmaker’s recent health problems have only...

U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, was released from a Washington, D.C.-area hospital this morning. Murtha had been admitted to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Sunday evening for treatment of abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with a gallbladder problem, a spokesman has said. Murtha, 77, appeared on the House floor this afternoon during discussion of defense spending for fiscal year 2010.

With Afghanistan hearings Tuesday and the annual Pentagon budget bill due on the House floor this week, a familiar face may be missing. Rep. John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations defense panel, was hospitalized Sunday night because of abdominal pains. The 77-year old Pennsylvania Democrat had been feeling ill with what he thought last week was swine flu but the hospitalization appears related to his gall bladder. “He’s currently resting and doing well,” his office said.

"Rep. Jack Murtha presides, ignores reality to push through his preferences without a vote."

Insults against West Point by MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews are part of a pattern of left-wing denigrations against Americans serving in uniform. It's a motif indicative of an anti-military mind-set that is as dangerous as it is rude. Discussing the West Point audience's response to President Obama's speech about Afghanistan, Mr. Matthews quipped on Tuesday: "I saw a lot of, if not resentment, skepticism. I didn't see a lot of warmth in that crowd out there that the president chose to address tonight. And I thought that was interesting: He went to maybe the enemy camp tonight to make his...

On Politics Cleaning House By Charlie Cook National Journal November 24, 2009 As House Democrats try to avert political disaster by limiting their 2010 losses to about 16 seats, the norm for post-World War II presidents' first midterm elections, dealing with their members' ethics problems may be one of their toughest tasks.With health care reform off their plate for now, House Democrats are showing that they understand the tightrope they must walk -- address unemployment without exacerbating worries about the size of government and the federal deficit.Meanwhile, though, the ethical clouds over House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles...

Northrop Grumman’s potential withdrawal from a competition to build Air Force refueling aircraft would be a “blow” to the program, according to the House’s top defense appropriator. “I can’t imagine they can do it without competition,” said Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. Murtha said he is scheduled to meet with Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter on Thursday to discuss several issues, including Northrop’s threat to pull out of the tanker competition. If Northrop pulls out, Boeing would be the only company bidding for the contract. That would run afoul of congressional preferences for...

Who is going to pay for the $30 billion or more to be added to the cost of the Afghan war based on what President Obama discusses tonight? Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) of the House Appropriations Committee has an answer: "If we have to pay for the health-care bill, we should pay for the war, as well," he told ABC News last week. Obey did more than talk. On Nov. 19, with little fanfare and 10 Democratic co-sponsors, he introduced a bill, the Share the Sacrifice Act of 2010, which adds a chapter to the Internal Revenue Code titled "Temporary...

Democratic Rep. John Murtha — just back from a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan — said Monday that he never got a clear definition of what constitutes an “achievable victory” for the United States and fears that American commanders are assuming more time for the war effort than voters at home will allow. “I am still very nervous about this whole thing,” Murtha told POLITICO. “If you had 10 years, it might work; if you had five, you could make a difference. But you don’t have that long.” A top Democrat on military matters, the Pennsylvania lawmaker captures the skepticism facing...

Political analyst Charlie Cook says that the scandals enveloping Reps. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and John Murtha (D-PA) threaten to increase losses for their party in next year’s election. He writes: As House Democrats try to avert political disaster by limiting their 2010 losses to about 16 seats, the norm for post-World War II presidents' first midterm elections, dealing with their members' ethics problems may be one of their toughest tasks. The task is tough because of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s reluctance to move against either one, notwithstanding her promise to “drain the swamp” of Congressional corruption and to  “create the most...

Murtha disregarding all decorum and democracy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFqN2Kdib3w Video from CSPAN. this should go viral. sorry, too dumb to get the video embedded.

War On Terror: As Khalid Sheikh Mohammed receives the benefits of U.S. justice, three Navy SEALs face court-martial for allegedly punching a captured terrorist who hanged Americans from a bridge in Fallujah. Apparently our efforts to impress the world about the marvels of our criminal justice system require us to give foreign terrorists such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the man who invented the manned cruise missiles that flew into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and plowed into a Pennsylvania field on its way to the Capitol Building, the full rights and protections of the American citizens he conspired...

War Trial: Rep. John Murtha has been granted an exemption from testifying in the case of a Marine accused of crimes in the Iraqi town of Haditha. Isn't confronting your accuser one of the basic rights we're fighting for?As our success in Iraq has caused it to fade as a campaign issue, so has the terrorist ambush of a Marine patrol in Haditha in November 2005 faded from public memory. But for the Marines charged with crimes in Haditha, it's an ongoing nightmare. After one of their comrades was killed by an IED, the Marines of Kilo Co., 3rd Battalion,...

This is a sick video of abuse of power.

November 17, 2009 MURTHA CONTINUES TO UNDERMINE TROOPS By William RussellIn recent interviews defending President Obama’s slow decision making on Afghanistan, Congressman John Murtha continues to undermine our troops, embolden our enemies, and place our country in greater danger. He does this by drawing on the wrong lessons from his own experience in Vietnam, and endorsing the enemy’s propaganda.  By continually questioning the request for more troops, Mr. Obama and Mr. Murtha are signaling the possibility that America might withdraw as we did in Vietnam. But unlike Vietnam, we do not have the choice of leaving and withdrawing to our...

November 19, 2009 Politics as Usual? A Glenn Beck case study Today's Show Segment Video-6:15

The Senate approved Tara O’Toole’s nomination as Under Secretary for the Science and Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security via voice vote last night. As we pointed out the day before, this should be of concern to anyone interested in making sure that billions in taxpayer dollars do not get funneled to a bio-security boondoggle brought to you by O’Toole and her close and corrupt ally John Murtha, who is currently under investigation for ethics violations. Under O’Toole’s jurisdiction now falls the decision concerning the Murtha-supported effort to make the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) “the...

Published on CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress (http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org) Murtha Acknowledges He Is Subject of Ethics Inquiry By Paul Singer, Roll CallNovember 1, 2009After years of allegations that he improperly lavishes federal dollars on local supporters and campaign donors, Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) acknowledged for the first time last week that ethics investigators are looking into his earmarks.After the Washington Post disclosed a leaked list of Members being investigated by the House ethics committee, formally known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and the Office of Congressional Ethics — including seven members of...

Before taking control of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history." However, with dozens of mostly Democratic lawmakers and various staff under investigation by the House's twin ethics bodies, the majority clearly values political power over clean government. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Charles B. Rangel, 20-term New York Democrat, and Defense Appropriations subcommittee Chairman Rep. John P. Murtha, 19-term Pennsylvania Democrat, are the poster children for how failed ethics cops protect old-guard lawmakers. While under investigation by the ethics committee, they continue to...

More than 30 US politicians, among them seven members of a defence procurement committee, are being investigated in congressional ethics inquiries into influence-peddling, according to a document leaked accidentally on to the internet. The disclosure sheds light on a process by which billions of dollars a year are spent on defence projects that the Pentagon does not want and which limits funds available for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. House Representatives named in the document include John Murtha, the chairman of the House Defence Appropriations Sub-committee, who added so-called “earmarks” worth more than $100 million (£61 million) to...

Rep. John Murtha on Thursday said he is open to raising taxes if President Barack Obama decides to send more troops to Afghanistan. “This is an expensive proposition,” Murtha (D-Pa.) told The Hill. “If we send more troops over, how are we going to pay for them? We should raise taxes.” In a subsequent interview on Thursday, Murtha said he is not recommending raising taxes, but stressed it should be considered. Murtha’s comments are significant. As chairman of the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee, he controls the purse strings for any troop surge in Afghanistan. Murtha wants an honest accounting of...

When software firm MobilVox wanted to break into the lucrative world of defense contracting, it pursued an unmistakable strategy: It expanded operations from its Northern Virginia base in Rep. James P. Moran's congressional district to the southwestern Pennsylvania district of Rep. John P. Murtha. Working with two of the most powerful members of a House subcommittee that controls Pentagon spending, the company also hired lobbying firms that employed former top aides of both the Democratic lawmakers and Mr. Murtha's brother. Company executives and their lobbyists donated thousands of dollars to the two congressmen. Soon, money flowed the other way. Between...

The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee dispensed $636 billion this year to the Pentagon. Its members must look on the $103 million they earmarked for favored projects as mere crumbs from the table. Outside the defense budget, however, $100 million a year is a tidy sum, and getting a piece of the action is a regular part of Washington's political culture. At the center is a mutually beneficial connection between members of Congress, their former staff members turned lobbyists, and corporations or non-profits seeking federal money -- what some social scientists call "relationship circles." In this instance, it's better described as...

If Obama and his Chicago thugs simply focused on the country's real enemies rather than American citizens and institutions which provide constructive criticism and honest discourse on the policies emanating from the White House, effective policy might be put in place which would advance an agenda supported by a true majority of citizens. But rather, we see an administration so focused on what, in its paranoid state, it perceives as enemies, that all of its energies are centered on discrediting Bush and Cheney, Fox News, talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, town hall attendees, tea party organizers, health insurance companies, Wall Street...

Video - little over two minutes. Watch Murtha act as Speaker on the House floor, and completely ignore the Constitution. Just astoundingly pathetic.

Congressman John Murtha reminds me of Big Julie in play Guys and Dolls, who boasts: “I got a poifect record: thoity-three arrests, no convictions.” Months ago, the FBI raided the offices of the PMA group. What they found suggested that Murtha and his buddies at the PMA Group operated their own little Earmark Factory. But that was just the tip of the iceberg, another one of John Murtha's most favorite contractors was charged for taking $200,000 in kickbacks, the FBI is Investigating Multi-Billion-Dollar Murtha favored Defense Contractor With Tax-Exempt Status, Murtha has even gotten family into the earmark business, and...

When software firm MobilVox wanted to break into the lucrative world of defense contracting, it pursued an unmistakable strategy: It expanded operations from its Northern Virginia base in Rep. James P. Moran's congressional district to the southwestern Pennsylvania district of Rep. John P. Murtha. Working with two of the most powerful members of a House subcommittee that controls Pentagon spending, the company also hired lobbying firms that employed former top aides of both the Democratic lawmakers and Mr. Murtha's brother. Company executives and their lobbyists donated thousands of dollars to the two congressmen. Soon, money flowed the other way. Between...

The Washington Post reported over the weekend on the ongoing federal investigation into defense earmarks, saying that it was “increasingly focused on a former top aide to Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.) who worked with the congressman on funding requests from clients of a powerful lobbying firm, according to two sources familiar with the probe.” The story said that the aide, Charles E. Brimmer, Visclosky’s former longtime chief of staff, may have “suggested to some lobbyists that companies seeking Visclosky’s help in getting Pentagon funds would need to commit to a program of donations to the member of the...

GOP Sets Sights on House Power Brokers for 2010Strategists Portray Races as Signs of Democratic Weakness By David Weigel October 16, 2009 Reps. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), David Obey (D-Wis.) and John Murtha (D-Pa.) are among the congressional Democrats facing 2010 challenges. (house.gov) ..Snip.. ...Murtha’s southwestern Pennsylvania district, however, was the only one in America that voted for the Kerry-Edwards ticket in 2004 and McCain-Palin in 2008 — narrowly, both times. In 2008, Bill Russell ran against Murtha, raised more than $3 million, and briefly garnered national attention after Murtha said his district might reject Obama because it was a “racist...

A federal investigation into defense contracts awarded through congressional earmarks is increasingly focused on a former top aide to Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.) who worked with the congressman on funding requests from clients of a powerful lobbying firm, according to two sources familiar with the probe. Investigators have gathered evidence that Charles E. Brimmer, Visclosky's former longtime chief of staff, suggested to some lobbyists that companies seeking Visclosky's help in getting Pentagon funds would need to commit to a program of donations to the member of the Appropriations defense subcommittee, the sources said. The Justice Department is trying to...

Published: October 13, 2009 11:27 pm 2 former colonels sentenced: Military contract case had ties to Murtha By MELISSA NELSON The Associated Press PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal judge sentenced two former Air Force colonels to prison on Tuesday for destroying documents, lying to a grand jury and other crimes related to a wider fraud scheme by contractors and defense lobbyists with ties to powerful Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown. The men, both engineers and graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy, are among those accused by federal prosecutors who are looking into alleged wrongdoing by contractors with ties to Murtha, chairman...

The White House national security adviser said Sunday that Afghanistan “is not in imminent danger of falling,” a different view expressed from the top U.S. commander in that country.Retired Gen. James Jones, appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” and CNN’s “State of the Union,” said the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai must improve but he believes it can succeed with a strong U.S. effort to train its army and police force.“I don’t foresee the return of the Taliban. Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling,” Jones said. “The al-Qaeda presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is...

When the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra decided to raise money with a concert honoring its powerful hometown congressman, the Boeing Co. and other defense contractors pitched in.The 2005 event — which celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of Pennsylvania Democrat John P. Murtha , chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and his wife, Joyce — drew a $50,000 pledge from Boeing to endow the symphony’s annual opera festival. The company spread the donation over five years, delivering the final $10,000 installment May 4.“We were pleased to be in a position to assist the symphony and looked forward to following through with...

John Murtha who has turned congressional earmarks into an art-form has directed two-hundred million of your tax dollars to the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. The Airport has so many pictures of the Congressman you would think that it was a monument to the pork-meister. Even that wouldn't be so bad if the airport was actually used, but Murtha Airport gets a total of THREE commercial flights a day, from Johnstown to Washington DC. This tribute to John Murtha is literally the airport to nowhere. Last week Senate Republican introduced,and the Democrats voted voted down an amendment by Senator DeMint...

INDIANA, Pa. -- The buzzer is broken at the John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security, and a paper note invites visitors, "Please knock." On a summer afternoon, a lone intern answers the door of the mostly empty basement offices that over the years have overseen $50 million in federal funds awarded to projects designed to make the nation safer. Named for the chairman of the powerful Appropriations subcommittee on defense, who has shepherded most of its funding, the Murtha Institute was supposed to embark on projects to protect America from terrorists and clean up environmental dangers. Much of the...

September 17, 2009 Roll call number 284 (Amendment number S.Amdt.2410) in the Senate Question On the Amendment (DeMint Amdt. No. 2410 ) Amendment purpose To limit the use of funds for the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport.

DeMint to Force Vote to End Taxpayer Subsidies for Murtha ‘Air-Pork’Airport received $200 million in tax dollars, averages only 20 passengers and 3 flights dailySeptember 16, 2009 - Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee and Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, announced he will offer an amendment to end taxpayer subsidies for the John Murtha Airport, a little used 650-acre facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that has received at least $200 million in taxpayer funding. U.S. Congressman John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania), who the airport was named after, has personally directed $150 million...

House defense spending cardinal John Murtha, an early bellwether of congressional opposition to the Iraq war, has made his strongest comments yet opposing more U.S. troops for the war in Afghanistan. The Pennsylvania lawmaker and Vietnam veteran, who plays a crucial role in forming the budgets that would fund an increased troop presence, is skeptical of the basic logic of adding personnel. "In Vietnam it took 500,000 troops and that didn't solve the problem. So we have to take a different approach," Murtha told The Cable in an exclusive interview. "I think that's what McChrystal is trying to do," he...

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of Speaker Nancy’s Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) closest allies, is still waiting for the House to come up with a healthcare bill he would support even though he is a co-sponsor of measure that includes a single-payer provision. Murtha is one of 86 co-sponsors to a bill sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.). That measure would provide all individuals residing in the United States with free health care. It also would prevent private insurance companies from participating in the government program, which Conyers dubbed The United States National Healthcare Program, for any kind of healthcare...

During President Barack Obama’s address on his health care bill, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted “you lie” following the President’s assertion that his bill does not allow illegal aliens to participate in receiving benefits. The Democratic Party leadership is now planning to censure Wilson. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) called Wilson’s remark “shockingly disrespectful and unacceptable.” “While it is true that the President called his opponents liars, this does not grant others the right to respond in kind. The President represents the entire nation. He speaks for every American. Mr. Wilson’s small, red-neck constituency doesn’t give him the right to...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic leaders in Congress urged the Obama administration Thursday to quickly produce a plan for winning the war in Afghanistan or risk widespread opposition within the president's own party to a new troop buildup. Simmering congressional frustration could lead to tighter scrutiny and more limited resources, even if Capitol Hill ultimately does approve sending more U.S. troops to the war-torn nation, aides said. "I don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan in the country or in the Congress," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking Democrat to signal that a push...

Ethics spotlight burns on House DemsBy Susan Crabtree - 09/09/09 06:05 AM ET The ethics spotlight on House Democrats is intensifying amid predictions from political analysts that Republicans will pick up many seats in next year’s midterm elections. Few are going so far as to say that the GOP will win back the House, but ethics controversies are key to the rise of the minority party in the lower chamber. Republicans capitalized on Democratic ethics woes to win the House in 1994 and Democrats turned the tables on the GOP in 2006, catapulting Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Speaker. Republicans...

John Murtha (Democrat) This clip is appalling - I don't have an exact date, but it happened quite a while ago. Just watch how our government runs things. Maybe Glenn can ask what is up with this?

Johnstown, Pa. If you hate the hubbub of crowded airports, you might want to consider flying out of Johnstown, Pa. The airport sees an average of fewer than 30 people per day, there is never a wait for security, you can park for free right outside the gate, and you are almost guaranteed a row to yourself on any flight. You might wonder how the region ever had the air traffic demand to justify such a facility. It didn't. But it is located in the district of one of Congress's most unapologetic earmarkers: Democrat John Murtha. In 20 years, Mr....

One night last August, John Murtha, the U.S. Representative from PennsylvaniaÂ’s Twelfth Congressional District, paid a visit to the LBK Game Ranch, a private hunting camp in the hills above his home city of Johnstown. About 60 people had gathered in the ranchÂ’s lodge--a luxury five-bedroom log cabin decorated with deer antlers and flat-screen televisions--to raise money for his 2008 campaign. There were two odd things about the event. One was that the host was a former drug dealer. Bill Kuchera, a stocky man with a balding pate and a bristle-brush mustache, had run a bar near Johnstown in the...

Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

A defense contractor with longtime ties to Rep. John Murtha said Thursday the Navy is lifting a suspension that has kept it from getting new government work. An agreement between Kuchera Defense Systems of Windber, Pa., and the Navy comes amid a Justice Department criminal investigation that appears to be intensifying. Dennis McGlynn, an attorney representing Kuchera, says the firm was removed from the Excluded Parties List System, a black book of contractors blocked from government work. McGlynn says Kuchera made some accounting adjustments to satisfy the Navy. "We are very pleased to be back in business as far as...

Surely House leadership didn't think the prospect of buying an additional four new corporate jets would fly with the American public? But they did. House leaders backed down only after news reports last week, most prominently from the Wall Street Journal, revealed the full details of this purchase. It appeared so routine. Before heading out on summer recess, lawmakers voted to add four more aircraft to an earlier request for four other new planes by the Air Force and Defense Department. The planes were to be added to a fleet of about 24 aircraft that the Air Force maintains for...

"If at first you don't succeed ... wait two decades for a new Congress, and then try again."If that credo isn't matted, framed, and hanging on the office wall of Rep. John P. Murtha, it should be.On July 22, Murtha's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee reported out a $636 billion appropriations bill that included funding for new airplanes in which the Air Force could ferry Members of Congress around the world. The eight new airplanes in the bill were precisely twice as many as the Obama Administration had requested -- but, for some reason, the price tag had more than doubled,...