Congressman John Murtha

John Murtha became embroiled in the dragnet ABSCAM investigation, which targeted dozens of congressman, in 1980. He was not indicted or prosecuted, though he was named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator. An excerpt of the FBI videotaped Murtha as saying, "I'm not interested...at this point. [If] we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't." to $50,000 cash right after Murtha had offered to provide names of businesses and banks in his district where money could be legally invested.
 
Links to the actual videos of his involvement can be found at the following two links (Warning NSFW, Strong Language) and Full length versions of the tape show that the FBI undercover operative repeatedly attempted to offer Rep. Murtha money, whereby Rep. Murtha declined, though he implied he might be interested later, after the "Saudi representatives" invested in businesses in his district.
 
The U.S. Attorneys Office declined prosecution of Mr. Murtha, reasoning that the Congressman's intent was to obtain investment in his district, the very premise of the FBI operation. However, John Fund writes in the Wall Street Journal that Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill and Democratic Rep. Charlie Wilson of Texas shut the probe down before the special prosecutor, Barrett Prettyman, could finish investigating Murtha. Quoting from the 2003 book Charlie Wilson's War, by George Crile (a producer for CBS's 60 Minutes), Fund writes:
 
"Before Prettyman could fully deploy his investigators to move on the Murtha case, he was informed that the committee had concluded there was no justification for an investigation." The Ethics Committee chairman, Rep. Louis Stokes of Ohio, suddenly declared "This matter is closed."
 
Prettyman resigned that same day without having indicted Murtha.
 
Retired FBI Agents familiar with the investigation felt that Murtha was "stringing along" a group of "businessmen", seeing whether they would "put up or shut up" and invest in Western Pennsylvania.[citation needed] Mr. Murtha's district had been extremely hard hit economically. Full length viewing of the tape reveal Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1000" miners to work.
 
 

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John Murtha was born in New Martinsville, West Virginia, near the border with Ohio, and grew up in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where as a youth he became an Eagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers and at a gas station before graduating from The Kiski School, an all-male boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.
 
Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
 
Murtha remained in the Marine Corps Reserves, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on 10 June 1955 — they have three children and live in Johnstown.
 
In 1959, Murtha, then a captain, took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
 
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On November 17, 2005, Murtha submitted the following resolution (H.J. Res. 73) in the House of Representatives:
 
Whereas Congress and the American People have not been shown clear, measurable progress toward establishment of stable and improving security in Iraq or of a stable and improving economy in Iraq, both of which are essential to "promote the emergence of a democratic government";
 
Whereas additional stabilization in Iraq by U. S. military forces cannot be achieved without the deployment of hundreds of thousands of additional U S. troops, which in turn cannot be achieved without a military draft;
 
Whereas more than $277 billion has been appropriated by the United States Congress to prosecute U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan;
 
Whereas, as of the drafting of this resolution, 2,079 U.S. troops have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom;
 
Whereas U.S. forces have become the target of the insurgency,
 
Whereas, according to recent polls, over 80% of the Iraqi people want U.S. forces out of Iraq;
 
Whereas polls also indicate that 45% of the Iraqi people feel that the attacks on U.S. forces are justified;
 
Whereas, due to the foregoing, Congress finds it evident that continuing U.S. military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the people of Iraq, or the Persian Gulf Region, which were cited in Public Law 107-243 as justification for undertaking such action;
 
Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That:
 
Section 1 The deployment of United States forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date.
 
Section 2 A quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S Marines shall be deployed in the region.
 
Section 3 The United States of America shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.