Yesterday, I heard Michael Medved talking about how John Murtha had "served his country admirably."
Maybe, in the military.
But, after his military service, he betrayed his country in many ways, from his selfish affinity for Pork, to his defeatist triumphalism (how's that for a oxymoron), to the fact that he was one of the principle Congressmen implicated in ABSCAM:
The FBI set up "Abdul Enterprises, Ltd." in 1978. FBI employees posed as Middle Eastern businessmen in videotaped talks with government officials, where they offered money in return for political favors to a non-existent sheikh. A house (4407 W St. NW, Washington, D.C.), along with a yacht in Florida and hotel rooms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, were used to set up meetings between various public officials and a mysterious Arab sheikh named "Kambir Abdul Rahman" who wanted:
* To purchase asylum in the U.S.
* To involve them in an investment scheme
* To get help in getting his money out of his country
Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) was one of the Congressmen videotaped[6] in an encounter with undercover FBI operatives.[7] Although never indicted or prosecuted, he was named an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the scandal.[8] As such, he testified against Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the deal at the same meeting. A short clip from the videotape shows Murtha stating "I'm not interested, I'm sorry. At this point..." in direct response to an offer of $50,000 in cash.[9]
In November 1980, the Justice Department announced that Murtha would not face prosecution for his part in the scandal. The U.S. Attorney's Office reasoned that Murtha's intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1000" miners to work. In July 1981, the House Ethics Committee also chose not to file charges against Congressman Murtha, following a mostly party line vote.
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