Posted on 11/16/2006 4:22:30 AM PST by W04Man
House Democrats will decide today whether to install as their majority leader one of the most scandal-tainted members of Congress.
Today's vote on Rep. John P. Murtha -- whom likely Speaker Nancy Pelosi enthusiastically supports -- comes 10 days after Democrats seized control of the House and Senate after promising to clean up the corruption that they said had become a hallmark of the Republican Congress.
snip....
But most of the attention on Capitol Hill yesterday fell on Mr. Murtha's run for House leadership, which many Democrats worry will sully their stunning victories last week and ruin any hopes of a reputation for ethical reform. Mr. Murtha didn't help his case when reports surfaced yesterday that he dismissed the party's plans for ethics reform during a gathering of newly elected Democrats.
snip....
Mr. Murtha turned down their bribe -- for the time being. But he spent 54 minutes doing so, according to FBI surveillance tapes recently obtained by the conservative magazine the American Spectator and posted on the Internet.
"These guys were trying to corrupt me," he said in an interview yesterday with Chris Matthews of MSNBC. "They were the slimiest guys I've ever seen.
"I deal with people like this all the time," he added.
He insisted that his only interest was in getting the men to invest in his district.
Mr. Murtha testified against his fellow congressmen in federal court and was not charged with any crimes. In 1981, the House ethics committee also declined to punish him.
"The ethics committee cleared me completely, unanimous vote," he said yesterday.
According to news reports at the time, the panel in the Democrat-controlled Congress declined to pursue charges on a party-line vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ...
"I deal with people like this all the time," he added.
PIng!
I hope he wins. Between him and Reid, it surely will be the most ethical congress ever, just like moderate democrat Pelosi promised.
I agree with Rush, Murtha should be the Majority Leader!
Murtha is hands down the slimiest Congresscritter there is.
NASTY Pelosi thinks she can "Drain the swamp" by skimming off the scum.
Is it official? Did they already vote her in as Speaker?
Go Murtha! LOL
I hope he gets the job. Two years of playing that tape everytime Murtha opens his corrupt mouth would be great.
No, she has not yet been voted speaker...at least not by the House. She's been anointed by media acclaim, a calculated and pre-emptive move to inoculate her from challenge.
If he doesn't get the post, he will not go quietly.
She has her own ethics problems but it is doubtful the MSM will touch that story.
If Murtha is defeated, she could lose enough face to end up with a challenger for the Speaker position and be defeated as well. This would be good for the country, but bad for us Republicans who hope to use their absurdity against them in two years..
The unanimous part only applied to the Dems on the committee. Murtha is still playing fast and loose with the truth.
Seems like we should have a LIVE THREAD on the Murtha Vote!!
Of course, he is required to report every attempted bribe to the ethics committee. I wonder how many he ACTUALLY reported? We know he never mentioned the ABSCAM bribe offer.
I'm in, they just said on CSPAN 1 that the Dems are in session choosing the majority leader now and they would cover when the decision is made.
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