Posted on 12/08/2008 4:36:32 PM PST by smoothsailing
December 8, 2008
Contact: Naomi Seligman // 202.408.5565
8 Dec 2008 // Washington, D.C. – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released its 2008 Most Embarrassing Re-Elected Members of Congress. The list incorporates those elected officials who have misused their position through illegal, unethical or just plain outrageous conduct.
Members are not ranked, but rather listed in alphabetical order. The list includes:
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Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)
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Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) is an 18th-term member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district. Rep. Murtha was re-elected in November 2008, defeating his opponent by a margin of 58% to 42%. Rep. Murtha chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Murtha’s ethics violations stem from abuse of his position on the subcommittee to benefit the lobbying firm of a former long-term staffer and from threatening to block earmarks of other members for political purposes. Rep. Murtha was included as a member to watch in CREW’s 2006, 2007 and 2008 reports on congressional corruption.
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. Since the second quarter of 2007 campaign cycle, the PMA Group and ten of the firm’s clients ranked in the top 20 contributors to Rep. Murtha, having made campaign contributions totaling $190,880. In turn, many of PMA’s clients have benefited significantly from Rep. Murtha’s earmarks.
Other Earmarks
Other companies receiving federal earmarks have donated to Rep. Murtha’s campaign committee and PAC. Advanced Acoustic Concepts, Conemaugh Health Systems, DRS Technologies, L. Robert Kimball, MTS Technologies, and Windber Research Institute donated to Rep. Murtha and were the recipients of earmarks in the FY 2008 Defense Appropriations bill.
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC)
CTC is a large non-profit that in 2006 received over $225 million in government grants. Congress has earmarked at least $226 million for CTC over the past four years. Since 2002, CTC’s employees and employees’ family members have donated over $126,000 to Rep. Murtha’s political committees and leadership PAC.
Critics of CTC have charged that earmarked federal funds have resulted in few new developments. In April of 2008, the FBI and the Pentagon Defense Criminal Investigation Service issued subpoenas seeking information regarding contracts awarded to Commonwealth Research Institute (CRI) and its parent company CTC. Investigators are seeking information about seven contracts, four of which were awarded to CTC over several weeks in May and June 2002 and worth up to $130 million. Investigators are also seeking information regarding a 2002 CRI deal worth $10 million and a 2006 no-bid contract worth up to $45 million.
Additionally, in December 2007, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) began an inquiry into why CTC has been considered a tax exempt charity.
ProLogic Earmarks
Rep. Murtha has also earmarked for ProLogic, Inc., a small company under federal investigation for allegedly diverting federal funds to develop software for commercial sale. Despite the federal probe investigating the abuse of taxpayer money, Rep. Murtha inserted a $2.4 million earmark for the company for fiscal year 2008.
Since 2002, executives and spouses of ProLogic have donated $42,900 to Rep. Murtha’s campaign committee, and $10,000 to Rep. Murtha’s PAC. Additionally, ProLogic’s PAC has donated $18,000 to both Rep. Murtha’s campaign committee and PAC. ProLogic is a PMA client.
Threat to Deny Spending Projects
On May 10, 2007, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) tried to strip a $23 million earmark from the intelligence authorization bill designated for the National Drug Intelligence Center (“NDIC”) and have the Department of Justice’s Inspector General audit the effectiveness of the center, located in Rep. Murtha’s district. Rep. Murtha approached Rep. Rogers on the House floor and stated, “I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bills because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever.” Rep. Rogers replied, “This is not the way we do things here,” and, “is that supposed to make me afraid of you?” Rep. Murtha retorted, “That’s the way I do it.” Although Rep. Rogers declined to file a formal ethics complaint, he described Rep. Murtha’s actions as “cajoling, bullying, threatening intimidation and they crossed a line.”
Earlier in May of 2007, Rep. Murtha had threatened Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) for voting in favor of Rep. Rogers’ amendment to kill the NDIC in the intelligence committee markup. Rep. Murtha approached Rep. Tiahrt on the House floor and unleashed a fingerpointing tirade at the other lawmaker, during which he [Rep. Murtha] threatened to withdraw his support from a defense project associated with the Boeing company in Rep. Tiahrt’s district. When confronted, Rep. Tiahrt explained that he had not known the earmark had been inserted by Rep. Murtha.
2008 Election
Rep. Murtha faced a tough re-election campaign after he made derogatory comments about the residents of his district on two occasions. In October 2008, when speaking to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the presidential election, Rep. Murtha remarked that then Sen. Barrack Obama faced opposition in his district because “Western Pennsylvania is a racist area.” Rep. Murtha revised his comments a week later, clarifying that just five to 10 years before the entire area was “redneck”.
SOURCE for above: CREW's Report Pages 10 & 11
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Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said today, “....these members of Congress stand out for their inability to conduct themselves in a manner that respects the office they hold. By highlighting those officials who have been an embarrassment to their constituents, the institution of Congress and in some cases, the United States of America, we fervently hope that they do more to better represent those who voted them into higher office.”
Murtha Watch Ping!
How did Murtha get reelected? The people of western Pennsylvania aren’t rednecks, they’re just plain stupid.
“It turns out they’re not racists — they’re retards.”
Ann Coulter
Why does this make her an embarrassment?
Only two DemocRATS?
Would they have been embarassed if William Jefferson had been reelected last Saturday?
And they left Kook-cinich off the list? Are they nuts or did they have too many people to put on the list?
CREW is desparate to embarrase Republicans?
Thanks for the ping, Smooth.
To be added to the Murtha Watch ping list please notify myself or RedRover.
No Pelosi, Stark, McDermott?????????
Yeah, OK.
Unfortunately there are so many strong contenders on both sides of the isle
Lindsay Graham isn't on it.
ping
Rep. Murtha approached Rep. Rogers on the House floor and stated, “I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bills because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever.” Rep. Rogers replied, “This is not the way we do things here,” and, “is that supposed to make me afraid of you?” Rep. Murtha retorted, “That’s the way I do it.” Although Rep. Rogers declined to file a formal ethics complaint, he described Rep. Murtha’s actions as “cajoling, bullying, threatening intimidation and they crossed a line.”[At least the U.N. writes letter to terrorists to tell them to stop. If republicans don't formally call lying cheating people like Murtha on their heavy handed tatics, they are just enabeling them]
Earlier in May of 2007, Rep. Murtha had threatened Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) for voting in favor of Rep. Rogers’ amendment to kill the NDIC in the intelligence committee markup. Rep. Murtha approached Rep. Tiahrt on the House floor and unleashed a fingerpointing tirade at the other lawmaker, during which he [Rep. Murtha] threatened to withdraw his support from a defense project associated with the Boeing company in Rep. Tiahrt’s district. When confronted, Rep. Tiahrt explained that he had not known the earmark had been inserted by Rep. Murtha.I guess if you are a republican and get caught calling a crooked democratic politician on unethical practices, you just kiss Murtha'a big white flabby butt?
They need to expose people like Murtha and let their constituents know why they don't get defense spending.
Why are republicans scared to death of Murtha and Barney Frank and the other scummy poofters in Congress?
I hate this jerk. I was looking for something on Ebay yesterday. Found one that I really liked but the seller was from PA so I refused to buy it. I’m boycotting PA!! LOL
Good points, Syncro. It has to be part of the reason Republicans havn't done too well at the polls lately.
There is some truth to it.
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