Posted on 09/27/2006 7:52:59 AM PDT by Just A Nobody
Washington County Commissioner Diana L. Irey seized on a report Tuesday from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington that targeted her opponent in this fall's 12th Congressional District race, U.S. Rep. John Murtha.
Irey hand-delivered a letter to U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan's downtown Pittsburgh office in the U.S. Courthouse calling for an investigation to determine if Murtha violated federal law.
Irey based her request on the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, asking for a probe into whether Murtha accepted "campaign contributions in exchange for placing earmarked appropriations into legislation he is largely responsible for drafting and pushing to passage."
CREW, which bills itself as a "legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions," labeled 20 of its "most corrupt members of Congress," including Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum among three senators and 17 members of Congress. Murtha, a Johnstown Democrat, was named to a separate list CREW called "five members to watch."
Santorum, an incumbent Republican, held a fund-raiser Friday at a Peters Township mansion with Vice President Dick Cheney. Irey, minority commissioner and Republican nominee for Congress, was among the guests at the Venetia event.
In a press release Tuesday, Irey didn't mention Santorum's position on the CREW list, but noted, "Lest you think this is some kind of partisan hit job, it is not. This is not a report by a Republican or a conservative organization. Of the 25 members listed, only four are Democrats."
Asked why she omitted the reference to Santorum in her own news release, Irey said Tuesday afternoon, "I chose to focus on Mr. Murtha. That would probably be me as the candidate looking at Mr. Murtha's activities and concerns that others have raised regarding his actions."
Murtha, through a spokesman, dismissed Irey's news conference called Tuesday on Grant Street.
"This is pure politics. We have a CPA who does all our reports and disclosures and we do everything by the book. In 32 years that I've been in Congress not one of my disclosures has been questioned or reviewed. We play by the rules in both fund-raising and reporting," said Murtha's media consultant, Ed Mitchell on Tuesday.
Leading the information on the CREW Web site on Santorum was the enrollment of six Santorum children in a Pennsylvania cyber charter school while the family was living in Leesburg, Va.
"I would have to disagree with the assessment of Ms. Irey," said Virginia Davis, spokeswoman for the Santorum campaign.
She called CREW "a liberal front group that selects a few token Democrats to the give the appearance of fairness, but this group is simply a Democratic front group that cannot be trusted.
"They've been targeting Republicans for years."
According to CREW, no friend to Republicans, you are NOT playing by the rules Ed.
It is inscrutable after ABSCAM and 32 years in Congress, there have been NO questions and NO reviews of Murtha's fund-raising or reporting.
WHY is that?
Could it be the degree of "influence" Murtha peddles?
Perhaps it is the trading of favors for campaign cash?
Let's have an investigation. If Murtha is as sqeaky clean as good old Ed claims, then it should be no problem to show off their impeccable record keeping.
Anyone wishing to be added to the IREY/Murtha ping list let me know!
Onward to Johnstown!!!! BTT
GOP Opponent Asks DOJ for Murtha Probe
By John Bresnahan
Roll Call Staff
September 27, 2006
A Republican challenger to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) has asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Murtha traded appropriations earmarks for hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the clients of lobbying firms with close ties to the veteran lawmaker, including one where his brother works.
Roll Call
Anyone wishing to be added to the IREY/Murtha ping list let me know!
BTTT
How about a combat boot probe where the sun don't shine.
Great! Missed you Saturday!
It's looking that way.
Warden's Bed & Breakfast
LOL - Love it!!!
Thanks for the ping Justa.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I think there are many people in federal prisons convicted of white collar crimes that also had CPA's, and many of those CPA's worked for law breakers that had much larger bank accounts than Murtha.
If I was Murtha's CPA I would be getting very nervous.
Irey based her request on the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, asking for a probe into whether Murtha accepted "campaign contributions in exchange for placing earmarked appropriations into legislation he is largely responsible for drafting and pushing to passage."
ABSCAM
Or.....just squash him like a bug!
No correction necessary my FRiend!!! ;*)
GOP Opponent Asks DOJ for Murtha Probe
If he'd only kept his mouth shut about Iraq none of this would be happening now.
That would be a lotta messy bug guts to clean.
For additional information about Murtha's track record on corruption check out Diana Irey's new additional Website.
http://www.youdontknowjack.org/
DIANA IREY for CONGRESS
600 Park Avenue
Monongahela, PA 15063
LOL!
I don't know who his political adviser is, but the DNC REALLY needs to hire him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.