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How the Pentagon’s top-brass generals burned the careers of subordinates but then pivoted to lucrative careers all while losing the wars they were supposed to be winning. My new book, A Few Bad Men, details the mendacity and mad dishonesty of retired Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis. The fact that it was written by a Marine once under his command, whom he betrayed for the sake of politics and getting to slap on another star, says volumes about this once-lionized figure. It all goes back to an incident in Afghanistan in 2007, and the Court of Inquiry trial of...

A federal manhunt is underway for Roy McGrath, once the chief of staff to ex-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, after he failed to appear in court Monday for the first day of his trial on wire fraud and embezzlement charges. [snip] A law enforcement source tells CBS News that McGrath's family was at his home in Florida when FBI visited the house Tuesday morning. The source said his high profile and the widely circulating photos will make it difficult for him to remain at large. McGrath, 53, has been living in Naples, Florida, and was supposed to travel to Maryland for...

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Six years ago, in Haditha, Iraq, in the wake of a deadly insurgent attack on their convoy, a Marine quick reaction force raided several houses from which they were taking fire. At the conclusion of the action it became clear that a number of Iraqi civilians had been killed, which was duly reported up the Marine Corps chain of command. The command determined that while the deaths were unfortunate, the engaged Marines had not violated the laws of war. Then, early in 2006, a reporter from Time Magazine got wind of the incident, and all hell broke loose. An...

Former FBI agents who worked the notorious 1970s sting operation known as ABSCAM have written FBI Director James Comey to warn that nothing less than the bureau's "reputation" is on the line as the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices enters a critical phase. The agents, in a March 16 letter obtained by Fox News, offered their support for Comey and the agents working the email case. But the letter cautioned the outcome would have long-lasting implications. "Decisions must be made on facts alone. Much is at stake here -- people's trust in the Bureau for years to come, as...

If you are thinking of running for office, this page is for you. This is where I share some of my experiences in a congressional campaign which drew national attention. I will be as informative as possible for those who are weighing a political run, especially those coming from military service. I will add topics as I craft them. For now, KNOW WHY YOU ARE RUNNING If you are thinking of running for office, the most important part of that decision is the “why” of what you are doing. Make sure your reasons are clear and unambiguous. It is hard...

June 16, 2012 Major work begins on Murtha ship The Tribune-Democrat PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Major construction has started on the John P. Murtha, another in a series of amphibious transport vessels that includes the USS Somerset. The Navy held a “keel authentication” ceremony June 7 for the LPD 26 at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. The Navy tradition signifies that the boat’s keel has been “truly and fairly laid.” The authenticator – Mobile, Ala., resident Wilfred Bolds – marked his initials on a keel plate, which will be affixed to the vessel. The USS John P. Murtha – named for the late...

The Murtha Airport in Johnstown, Pa., is a prime example of taxpayer spending that refuses to die. Representative John Murtha steered some 150 million of taxpayer dollars to this eponymous airport over the last decade and despite the fact he died more than a year ago, the money keeps on coming. Three years ago, we first visited the tiny airport, and found a monument to pork barrel spending: An airport with a $7 million air traffic control tower, $14 million hanger, and $18 million runway big enough to land any airplane in North America. For most of the day, the...

The USS Medgar Evers? The USS John Murtha? The USS Cesar Chavez? Our Navy Secretary, Ray Mabus, has this diversity thing down cold. Each one of those ships was in a class that previous names of their sister ships had nothing to do with civil rights, or corrupt Democratic politicians. Ships are usually named after states, cities, even famous explorers and war heroes. But Mabus has injected partisanship into this tradition, naming another ship for Democrat Gabriel Giffords, who has shown courage in her recovery from an assassination attempt but had expressed little interest in the military during her career...

Today, the plea deal was reached. SSgt Wuterich’s defense team at Puckett Faraj says this afternoon: Press Release, Aexandria VA January 23, 2012/12:45PM: “No one denies that the consequences of November 19, 2005 were tragic, least of all SSgt Frank Wuterich. But the fact of the matter is that he has now been totally exonerated of the homicide charges brought against him by the government and the media. For six years, he’s had his name dragged through the mud. Today, we hope, is the beginning of his redemption. He has always publicly taken responsibility for the lawful actions of his...

Camp Pendleton, Calif. – Defend Our MarinesA source close to the trial said a lack of money on the defense side, a lack of evidence on the prosecution side, and the likelihood that the eight-member panel will find SSgt Frank Wuterich not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and related charges have all combined to bring the case to a possible conclusion. Wuterich was charged in December 2006 with murder stemming from the multi-million dollar, worldwide investigation triggered by a specious Time magazine story in March 2006. Wuterich is also charged with Dereliction of Duty and Assault with a Deadly Weapon after...

Haditha: Where Are They (the Accusers) Now? Diana West January 18, 2012 Eight charged; seven cleared; one, please, let’s hope, to go.Finally, the last “Haditha” trial is in progress, and, thanks to Nat Helms at Defend Our Marines, everything you need or want to know about the proceedings, the witnesses, the facts about the case of SSGT Frank D. Wuterich, the last of the Marine Mohicans, is here. Tim McGirk, source of the Haditha myth-acre. Of course, I still have a few questions — the exact same questions I had when I first looked at the case back in late...

The Tribune Democrat, Johnstown, PADecember 27, 2011William Russell | Don’t rewrite Murtha’s legacy William Russell — On Dec. 18, Tribune-Democrat Editor Chip Minemyer called for someone in our military to step forward and acknowledge that “Murtha got it right” on Haditha. He cites a New York Times report that classified documents found on an abandoned base in Iraq “support assertions by the late congressman that Marines – stressed to the breaking point by the nature of that conflict  – killed 24 people, including women and children, on Nov. 19, 2005.” Mr. Minemyer is dead wrong. The only fact in his...

Accusations of corruption directed against the late Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) look like they were true. Recently released files seem to confirm that the Federal Bureau of Investigation suspected that Murtha schemed to route federal dollars to bogus companies and other operations that would benefit his friends and former employees and ultimately his own campaigns. As reported by Paul Singer in Roll Call, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Justice on Mr. Murtha (who passed away in February of 2010) and other Members...

A statue unveiled on Monday in Johnstown of the late John P. Murtha evoked vivid memories of the longtime congressman who in his lifetime encountered both criticism and praise for his twin devotions, national security and domestic economic development projects for his sprawling Western Pennsylvania constituency. Rep. Mark Critz, the man who took Murtha's place in Congress, said in the wake of the devastating Johnstown flood of 1977, his former boss "picked up the (Johnstown) economy and stuck it on his shoulders." One of his achievements, Critz said, were new water and sewer lines and other district-wide infrastructure improvements that...

"Investigative journalists doing their jobs should dig deep, into Pelosi's role in the controversial, $280-million, federal-funded Hunters Point Shipyard affair - in relation to her alleged role as an investor in a real estate investment called PRESIDIO PARTNERS. Look past the fact that the 936-acre site, of which about 443 acres are not polluted - Hunter Point is the largest tract of undeveloped land in San Francisco. Roll Call stated that in early 2004, Murtha “reportedly leaned on U.S. Navy officials to sign a contract to transfer the Hunters Point Shipyard to the City of San Francisco” and that “Laurence...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Navy says it is forging ahead with its decision to name a warship for the late Rep. John Murtha, despite protests the decorated Vietnam War veteran was disloyal in his 2006 accusation that Marines had murdered Iraqi civilians. Three Facebook sites opposing the Navy's April 2010 decision bristle with thousands of angry postings.

Former sailors, soldiers and Marines are expressing outrage at Navy Secretary Ray Mabus’s decision to name a naval warship after recently deceased Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha. The opposition is largely a function of Murtha’s actions and comments during his final years. Murtha became known as one of the most vocal opponents of the war in Iraq — despite voting in 2002 for the resolution that authorized the use of force against Saddam Hussein. In 2005 he declared the war unwinnable, and pushed a resolution to get the troops out of the country. “The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in...

Magliocchetti sentenced for illegal campaign contributionsBy Chuck Neubauer The Washington Times 5:34 p.m., Friday, January 7, 2011 Former superlobbyist Paul Magliocchetti, once the master of getting defense earmarks for his clients from members of Congress, was sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison for making hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions. U.S. District Court Judge T. S. Ellis III sentenced the 64-year-old Magliocchetti in federal court in Alexandria for devising what prosecutors called "one of the most extensive and long-running campaign finance schemes ever." "You made this choice for one reason: greed," said Judge Ellis, who also...

The U.S. Navy's Name GamePosted by Mark Thompson Sunday January 9, 2011 at 8:30 pm Prospective parents battling over the names of their unborn kids have nothing on the U.S. Navy, which is in the middle of a spat over the wisdom of naming a new ship for the late Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha. In fact, it has kicked off a bigger battle over just who, or what, should be honored with their names on the great gray hulls of the nation's warships. "It comes down to two points," says military historian James Caiella. "Who and what we are as...