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Murtha Rival Says Congressman's Top Aide Threatened to Have Him Court-Martialed Bill Russell, an Iraq war veteran who served with the Army, says Rep. John Murtha's chief of staff threatened to have him court-martialed when he ran against the Democratic congressman in 2008. By Judson Berger FOXNews.com Wednesday, May 13, 2009 Talk about hardball politics. Rep. John Murtha's opponent in the 2008 election claims the Pennsylvania congressman's chief of staff has threatened to have him recalled to active duty and court-martialed for campaigning while in the military, which is in violation of military code. Bill Russell, an Iraq war veteran...

Posted: 03/31/08 07:54 PM [ET] Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) top aide spent more than $2,000 of campaign money to buy a rifle and other items for himself at a National Rifle Association (NRA) charity auction, raising questions about whether the transaction violated House ethics rules and campaign finance law. John Hugya, Murtha’s chief of staff, reimbursed the campaign Friday for the expenses after The Hill inquired about the use of campaign money for personal items. The Murtha for Congress campaign paid for Hugya, a decorated retired colonel in the Marine Corps, to buy a rifle, knife, NRA blanket and other...