John Murtha is Still the King of Pork

Democratic U.S. Rep John Murtha is no stranger to corruption. His history in politics has been filled with them. I would like to inform the American public and give them a little history lesson on a crooked politician named John Murtha.

Let us look at the History of Murtha. We will travel back in time...starting with the news that just recently broke. A former executive for a defense contractor, who has ties with...yep, you guessed it...U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa) was charge by federal prosecutors with taking around $200,00 in kickbacks from a subcontractor.

The executive is Richard Ianieri who worked for Coherent Systems International Corp. This corporation just happens to have worked closely with...yep, you guessed it again...John Murtha. Back in 2006, Rep. Murtha (D-Pa) admits that Coherent Systems International Corp. worked with Kuchera Defense Systems on over $30 million dollars in military contracts.

So, let me ponder. Rep. Murtha (D-Pa) just happens to be the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. Kuchera Defense Systems has given thousands of dollars to Murtha's campaign and political action committee. In return for these donations, Murtha has given Kuchera Defense Systems millions of dollars in military contracts or "earmarks."

Murtha is involved with so many "pay-to-play" allegations that it is hard to keep up with. It is so bad that the watchdog groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington are calling for ethics investigations pertaining to Murtha's corruption. Doesn't the "pay-to-play" wording sound strangely familiar?

Murtha is commonly referred to as the "King of Pork." The man is so arrogant he even stated "If I'm corrupt, it's because I take care of my district. At least the man is telling the truth on that claim.

In 2008, Murtha earmarked $192 million dollars for his district. This year he only earmarked $134 million. The man sure knows how to stand up to his title of King of Pork.

The King of Pork, John Murtha (D-Pa) has a long list of ties that are currently under Federal Investigation. PMA Group, which use to be a defense lobbying firm and Kuchera Corp. (yes the same one) are both under investigations. Both of these groups are in John Murtha's district and like he said "he takes care of his district."

The investigation is centered around Murtha's link to lobbyists and contractors who gave him campaign donations and received earmarked funds in return. Hell, isn't this what all politicians do? They go out, promise this and that for your vote and then you get something in return? (Satire)

There have even been calls to shut down the National Drug Intelligence Center in Murtha's district. Why you ask? Most believe that the money Murtha earmarked for the center is just a costly boondoggle. Most of everything a politician touches is a boondoggle.

The Washington Post reported on a federal probe on earmarks that Murtha diverted to another company in his district. Mountaintop Technologies received earmarks from Murtha for "law enforcement work. The company is reported to be a defense contractor and has little, if any, law enforcement experience.

The PMA Group seems to be the main link in all of this. Questions are pouring in about the firm's dealings with Murtha and a few other Democratic colleagues. Rep. Peter Visclosky, (D-Ind) and Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va) are part of the investigation and admitted to being served subpoenas in the PMA investigation.

Thankfully, both Republicans and Democrats are calling for resolutions and investigations in an attempt to stop such abuses of power. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) has been discouraging freshmen Democrats from backing such resolutions. This simply can't be true.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised America, back in 2006, that she was going to "clear the swamps" of crooked and corrupt politicians. Today in 2009, we know that she meant clear the swamp, only when it pertains to members of the other party and not of her own. That could be a real "full-time" job and require Pelosi to actually work 5 days a week instead of the 3 she does now.

Some new blood politicians like Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), Paul Hodes (D-N.H.), Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) and Tom Perriello (D-Va) are wanting to introduce a bill that would ban politicians from taking campaign contributions from companies they have requested earmarks for. We know this will never pass. Very few Representative read these bills and are sure to vote to keep these loopholes open. Its their way of life.

This is just what the King of Pork has been up to recently. Now, lets go back and take a look at ABSCAM, which tied John Murtha into a life of corruption.

ABSCAM was a FBI sting operation aimed at public corruption. The FBI came up with a fictitious name for a corporation entitled "Abdul Enterprises, Ltd." The sting was to have F.B.I. agents pose as Middle Eastern businessmen and host talks with government officials. In these talks, they undercover agents would offer this politicians money in return for favors.

The F.B.I.'s plan was to pay these politicians bribes in exchange for asylum in the U.S. The other part of the sting was to get these politicians to involve themselves in an investment scheme and to help launder money out of the country. The story is very interesting and our King of Pork, John Murtha, was tied to ABSCAM.

Basically, Murtha was videotaped discussing "prospective investment opportunities in his district that would return "500 or 1000" miners to work. A short video clip of the sting shows Murtha stating "I'm not interested, I'm sorry. At this point..." in direct response to an offer of $50,000 in cash.

Murtha did testify against two of his Democratic pals, Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY). Even through all of this, Murtha survived a House Ethics Committee vote that went down party lines. Typical political theater. http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/abscam.htm

I could go on and on about Murtha's connections and his "pay-to-play" history. This is one of the many individuals that need to be escorted out of politics. Its time to start a "Kick their asses out" campaign. I know I'm sick of Murtha-type politicians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvwLiTH17ok

Sources:

1. Editorial, The Pork King Keeps His Crown, New York Times, January 14, 2008
2. F.B.I. (www.fbi.gov)