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DECONSTRUCTING THE FBI ABSCAM SURVEILLANCE VIDEO: WHAT DO WE KNOW NOW...
You Don't Know Jack Dot Org ^ | 2006 | Staff

Posted on 11/15/2006 6:57:37 PM PST by PghBaldy

For 26 years, the only portion of the FBI's undercover surveillance video of Jack Murtha meeting with an FBI agent he believed to be the representative of a rich Arab sheik was a 13-second clip that showed Murtha turning down an offer of a $50,000 bribe.

Now that the full FBI surveillance video is available for viewing, the public can see for itself what went on in that room. And what it shows is this: For 26 years, Jack Murtha has been living a lie.

For 26 years, Jack Murtha told his constituents that the only reason he sat with undercover FBI agents posing as the representatives of a fictitious Arab sheik was so that he could bring investment and jobs into his congressional district.

For 26 years, Jack Murtha denied ever making a deal to accept a $50,000 bribe to help a foreigner get into America.

As you can see when you watch the tape, the tape says otherwise.

What the FBI undercover surveillance tape makes clear is two-fold: First, that -- contrary to his assertions at the time, and ever since -- it is clear that Jack Murtha believed he had made a deal to accept $50,000 in cash in exchange for helping that Arab sheik get into the country; and, second, that his stated defense for the last 26 years -- that he went to the meeting solely to discuss business investments in the District -- was a fraud at the time, and has been a fraud ever since.

First, to the matter of the deal itself. Early in the meeting, Jack Murtha designated Howard Criden -- a Philadelphia attorney acting as a middleman -- as his agent, to accept the $50,000 on his behalf. You can see that about 16 minutes into the tape, where Mr. Murtha says, 'I'll deal through Howard … eh, uh … in this thing."

[Howard Criden had already played the same role -- bagman -- for Congressman Frank Thompson in an earlier meeting with the same undercover FBI agent. In that meeting, Criden had accepted a satchel containing $50,000, saying he was accepting the cash on Thompson's behalf, in exchange for Thompson's own promises of aid for the sheik. So the idea that Howard Criden would act as the physical intermediary, responsible for actually taking the cash out of the room and then handing it to the Congressmen later, was already well-established with the undercover FBI agents running the sting operation.]

Roughly 46 minutes into the 54-minute-long meeting, Howard Criden and Jack Murtha briefly stepped into the hallway outside the meeting room for a private conversation. There, the two discussed a means for Murtha to accept the cash without putting his hands on it -- by having Criden put his hands on it.

Here's what you see on the tape:

"Upon their return, Howard Criden says to Anthony Amoroso, the undercover FBI agent posing as the representative of the sheik, 'John says that it is okay for you to give me what's in that drawer.' [The drawer he was referring to, of course, is the desk drawer in which agent Amoroso had already placed $50,000 in cash.] Jack Murtha then immediately follows, explaining to Mr. Amoroso, 'Is that all right, Tony, let me make it very clear. The other two guys [Congressmen Frank Thompson and John Murphy] do expect to be taken care of, as Howard. And you're gonna have to deal through Howard. Me, you've got my deal.' Criden then acknowledges, 'We have a deal.'

Leaving a room where one has just been offered $50,000 in cash, only to return two minutes later with a bag man saying "John says that it is okay for you to give me what's in that drawer," is not something done by a man who's not aware he's trying to take a bribe.

These are the actions, rather, of a man who wanted very much to take the bribe -- as Jack Murtha said at one point on the tape, "you know, I need the [expletive deleted] money like anybody else does" -- but who thought he was clever enough, and careful enough, to have figured out a way to take the bribe without actually accepting the money himself.

Jack Murtha could have contradicted Howard Criden when Criden said, "John says that it is okay for you to give me what is in that drawer." He could have said, "Howard, I never said that."

But Jack Murtha did NOT contradict Howard Criden. Instead, he said, "Is that all right, Tony," and went on to remind the FBI agent that two other Congressmen "do expect to be taken care of," and then to agree with Criden -- "And you're gonna have to deal through Howard."

Just what did Howard Criden and Jack Murtha discuss in the hallway? Did Criden tell Murtha, "It'll be alright, Jack, I'll take the money, just like I did for Frank Thompson?" In fact, in trial testimony later, Jack Murtha testified that that is EXACTLY what happened in the hallway.

Jack Murtha believed he had cut a deal. But the deal fell apart -- FOR THE MOMENT -- when he refused to take the cash out of the room himself.

Did Jack Murtha call the FBI to report that, as a sitting Member of the House of Representatives, he had just been offered a bribe? Did Jack Murtha call the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or even the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee -- of which he was a member at the time -- to report a bribe attempt, as he was required to do under the Rules of the House in effect at the time?

No, he did not. Instead, as he testified later in federal court, he called his "immigration guy," to determine what could be done on behalf of the sheik. Why? Because he thought he still had a deal.

Second, the so-called "Investments Defense" is now demolished, once and for all time.

As the tape makes clear in numerous places, the only reason Jack Murtha talked about bringing investment into the District was so that it could act as a cover for this exercise. Consider this excerpt from the tape:

"And what I'm sayin' is, a few investments in my district, a few you know, is big to me, to this guy apparently is not too big, to a couple of banks which would get their attention. And investment in a business where you could legitimately say to me -- when I say legitimately, I'm talking about so these bastards up here can't say to me, well, why, in eight years from now, that's possible, we'd never hear a thing for eight years, but all at once, ah, some dumb bastard would go start talking eight years from now, ah, about the whole thing and say, '[expletive deleted], ah, this happened,' then he, then he, in order to get immunity so he doesn't go to jail, he starts talking and fingering people and then the [expletive deleted] all falls apart."

Just a few moments later in the tape, Mr. Murtha continues, discussing what he calls "a business commitment" in the district:

"A business commitment that makes it imperative for me to help him. Just, let me tell you something. I'm sure if -- and there's a lot of things I've done up here, with environmental regulations, with all kinds of waivers of laws and regulations. If it weren't for being in the district, people would say … 'Well that [expletive deleted], I'm gonna tell you something … This guy is, uh, you know, on the take.' Well once they say that, what happens? Then they start going around looking for the [expletive deleted] money. So I want to avoid that by having some tie to the district. That's all. That's the secret to the whole thing."

"That's the secret to the whole thing." Investment not for the sake of investment, but because "that's the secret" to how you can take a bribe and get away with it.

Jack Murtha has not been telling the truth for 26 years. You can believe what he says, or you can believe your own eyes. But you cannot believe both.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: abscam; howardcriden; murtha; pelosi
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To: MinuteGal

See, See, Good one Leni....JJ61


21 posted on 11/15/2006 7:37:38 PM PST by JerseyJohn61 (Better Late Than Never.......sometimes over lapping is worth the effort....)
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To: PghBaldy
Image hosted by Photobucket.com thats good... you need a sence of humor round here.
22 posted on 11/15/2006 7:40:08 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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Murtha should resign, NOW.

Reid should resign, NOW.

With enuf scraping, there is likely enough to demand
Pelosi to resign as well.

The Dems need to be hammered on this.

The Leftard media should be hammered for its bias for not covering this when then did nothing else but rabblerouse 'Resign' against Republicans who did much less.
23 posted on 11/15/2006 7:46:00 PM PST by wodinoneeye
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To: Paladin2
The real question is : why was Murtha only an unindicted co-conspirator?

Because Tip O'Neill, the Speaker at the time, got the investigation quashed - even though the outside prosecutor wanted it pursued. The outside prosecutor resigned when this happened. See John Fund's article in today's OpinionJournal.com

24 posted on 11/15/2006 7:53:10 PM PST by BusterBear
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To: padre35

I dunno. I listened to most of the tape and heard a guy who seemed genuinely interested in bringing business to his district. He told the scamer several times that "Getting this guy in the country won't cost you guys a cent." The scammer really had to try hard to shove the money down Murtha's throat. I don't like Murtha and wish he would have lost, but I think getting hot and bothered about this stuff 26 years after the fact is full of baloney. Just sayin'.


25 posted on 11/15/2006 8:00:17 PM PST by JusPasenThru (Just another angry military veteran.)
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To: PghBaldy
Why didn't this come out BEFORE the election?

Because John Murtha was playing a very useful role - bashing Iraq strategy. The Democrats and their stooges in the MSM decided that Iraq was going to be one of the main talking points in the election. Murtha was selected to carry the water for them because he was a veteran and had a reputation as a supporter of the military. He must have been promised something - very likely the Majority Leader position.

Well, the election is over now and Murtha has outlived his usefulness. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

26 posted on 11/15/2006 8:08:10 PM PST by BusterBear
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To: PghBaldy
I wouldn't give a RAT's patoot for his Vietnam service either.

From one who myself, should have done more.

27 posted on 11/15/2006 8:13:39 PM PST by onedoug
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To: MaineVoter2002

I'm with you. Maybe it'll come out much later that Rove orchestrated a plan for the GOP to take a dive. Two years of Democratic control, and 2008 turns into a landslide and the death knell for the Dem/Libs!

I belieeeeeve!


28 posted on 11/15/2006 8:14:26 PM PST by Solamente (Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out...)
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To: PghBaldy

Murtha for SPEAKER!!!


29 posted on 11/15/2006 8:18:40 PM PST by Suzy Quzy
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To: PghBaldy
Why didn't this come out before the election AND / OR after Murtha gets his House Appointment. Not now!
30 posted on 11/15/2006 8:28:02 PM PST by Sam Ketcham (Amnesty means vote dilution, increased taxes to bring them UP to the Poverty Level!)
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To: PghBaldy
It did come out before the election. It was first appeared in the American Spectator and was then featured on Hannity and Colmes. It got no traction whatsoever because the press wouldn't give it any.

I webmastered the Vets for the Truth / Boot Murtha.com website. We obtained a copy of the full 54-minute FBI surveillance tape and put it as one of several posts here on Free Republic. But folks were so, well, distracted with all the races throughout the country that they weren't interested much in Murtha's own little Congressional race in Pennsylvania's District 12.

Vets for the Truth sounded the alarm about Murtha as did Murtha's opponent Diana Irey. It is somewhat rewarding to see that some of that is now, belatedly, getting national attention.

31 posted on 11/15/2006 9:04:26 PM PST by IPWGOP (I'm Linda Eddy... I'm the webmaster for BootMurtha.com)
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To: Sam Ketcham

Why is this coming out NOW? It would be more effective if it came out AFTER Murtha won a leadership post.


32 posted on 11/15/2006 9:04:36 PM PST by Chad_the_Impaler
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To: JusPasenThru
I'm just sayin' that Mr. Murtha is more than likely dirty, do you think he was in that hotel room because of his sterling reputation for honesty?
33 posted on 11/15/2006 9:09:22 PM PST by padre35 (We are surrounded, that simplifies our problem Chesty Puller)
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To: IPWGOP

Just a bump and thank you for all you did this fall. Heard Diana on the radio today. Hope we see more of her.


34 posted on 11/15/2006 9:36:03 PM PST by GopherIt
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