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The US Navy-Marine Corps Court of Appeals has ruled that the CBS television news magazine 60 Minutes must turn over outtakes from its interview with Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich in which he revealed what happened at the so-called “Haditha Massacre” in Iraq more than three years ago. The three-judge appellate panel Friday directed Marine Corps military judge Lt. Col. Jeffrey G. Meeks to “conduct additional fact-finding” including an “in camera review” of the outtakes to determine whether Wuterich revealed any information the government needs to bolster its prosecution against the Marine infantryman. The ruling of the military judge...

A court martial on Wednesday acquitted a US Marine for his role in the deaths of 24 civilians in Haditha in Iraq in 2005, the sixth man to be exonerated in the affair, a military official said. Lieutenant Andrew Grayson, 27, was declared "not guilty on all charges" by a jury, said a spokesman for the Camp Pendleton military base in southern California where the hearing started on May 28. Grayson had been charged with making false statements and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps. He was also charged with obstruction of justice, but the military judge dismissed...

The Marine Corps attorneys representing Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich in the so-called “Haditha Massacre” investigation are expected to step down without closure more than a year after their client was charged. Baring unseen events, they will be off the defense team by August 1 and likely earlier than that, according to civilian co-counsel, Mark Zaid. Meanwhile, Wuterich remains in limbo at Camp Pendleton while government prosecutors wrangle with 60 Minutes lawyers over video outtakes the government says will help prove the incident at Haditha was a crime. Wuterich's trial will take place sometime in the fall. Lieutenant Colonel Colby C....

The mockudrama "Battle for Haditha" is going to be making its US premeire in May. As part of the publicity blitz for the fictionalized version of the incident at Haditha, Eliot Ruiz, who portrays Cpl. Ramirez (aka Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich) is making the rounds in his hometown of Philly. It's disgusting that a worthless piece of fiction is presented as a "docudrama" of the events on November 19, 2005. But what is worse is former Marines portraying those whose honor and service were forever tarnished in the Murtha-inspired witch-hunt. "...When I first heard about Nick's film I wasn't sure...

SAN DIEGO -- A military prosecutor is appealing a judge's decision to throw out a subpoena for unaired footage of a "60 Minutes" interview given by a Marine squad leader charged in the killings of 24 Iraqis. The appeal prompted the indefinite postponement of Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich's court-martial, which was scheduled to begin March 10, Wuterich's attorney, Mark Zaid, told The Associated Press on Friday. Marine prosecutor Capt. Nicholas Gannon has said in court documents the unaired CBS footage is vital to the case because it contains admissions by Wuterich of crimes in the attack in Haditha, Iraq,...

CAMP PENDLETON -- A jury that includes several combat veterans will gather in a courtroom here one week from Monday to hear the first case against four Marines being prosecuted in the slaying of two dozen Iraqi civilians more than two years ago. The court-martial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will offer dramatically competing versions of what happened in the city of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, and the outcome could set the tone for subsequent courts-martial of the three other Marines. The prosecutions are themselves controversial, drawing scorn from active-duty Marines and retired veterans, as well as global attention....

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Map, News) - Military prosecutors say unaired footage of a CBS interview given by a Marine squad leader contains admissions of crimes in an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians. Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich "apparently admits in an unaired segment that he did in fact order his men to 'shoot first and ask questions later,'" Capt. Nicholas Gannon said in response to a motion filed by CBS seeking to quash a subpoena seeking the footage. CBS is set to ask a military judge Friday to throw out the subpoena during a pretrial hearing for Wuterich, who...

Defense suggesting that 'undue command influence' led to charges against Marine CAMP PENDLETON ---- What did the generals know and how did they influence the decision to charge Marines with crimes in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005? That's the crux of ongoing attempts by attorneys for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich to interview several current and former Marine Corps generals as they prepare for his court-martial, set to begin March 3. During a two-day motion hearing this week, Wuterich's attorneys told a military judge they are endeavoring to contact former Camp Pendleton Gen. James Mattis and...

CAMP PENDLETON -- The Marine Corps has ordered one of two men charged with manslaughter in the 2005 deaths of 24 civilians in the Iraqi city of Haditha to testify for the prosecution at the court-martial for a co-defendant. Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum has been ordered to appear at the trial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, which is scheduled to start in less than three weeks, and tell the jury his version of the events of Nov. 19, 2005. Tatum's attorney Jack Zimmerman said he was caught by surprise when served with the order. "We were sent a copy of...

A key witness in the upcoming court-marshal of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich should not be allowed to testify in Wuterich’s behalf, the prosecutor claims in a motion filed in the Haditha Marines case. Wuterich, 27, is being tried for voluntary manslaughter in connection with the killings of 24 Iraqi citizens in the town of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, shortly after a roadside bomb hit a Marine convoy, killing the driver of a Humvee and wounding two other Marines. Maj. Jeffrey Dinsmore, who was the battalion intelligence officer of Wuterich’s unit, has previously revealed that, based on his intelligence briefings,...

CAMP PENDLETON – The Marine Corps has subpoenaed outtakes from a “60 Minutes” TV interview of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who led a group of Camp Pendleton Marines in killing 24 Iraqi civilians about two years ago. The revelation was made Friday during a court hearing for Wuterich on the base. Prosecutors have described the Marines' actions Nov. 19, 2005, in the city of Haditha as a massacre. Wuterich and a fellow Marine are scheduled for trial on charges such as voluntary manslaughter, while two officers will be tried for allegedly trying to cover up the killings. Camp Pendleton officials...

The court martial for SSgt Frank Wuterich, USMC, has been scheduled for March 3-14, Defend Our Marines has learned. The court martial for a second enlisted man, LCpl Stephen Tatum, is scheduled to commence March 28. The battalion commander, LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, will go on trial on April 28. A fourth court martial, for Lt Andrew Grayson, has not yet been scheduled. Before SSgt Wuterich's trial commences, there will be two sessions for arguments on motions on February 13-15, 2008, and then on February 20-22, 2008. Attorney Mark Zaid says, "We expect a very lively pre-trial environment as several very...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The man at the center of the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha two years ago stood up in a Camp Pendleton courtroom this morning and was formally arraigned on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich did not enter a plea during a 35-minute session, telling a judge in a calm and firm voice that he would do so at a later date. The Connecticut native also told the military judge, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks, that he would declare at a later date whether he wants...

Charges against another U.S. Marine caught up in the political fallout from an ambush in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005 have been reduced, officials have confirmed. Authorities at Camp Pendleton, Calif., said in a statement that the remaining charges against Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who was accused of leading the campaign that resulted in the deaths of two dozen Iraqis, are "voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault" and others. But Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central commander, "dismissed the charges of unpremeditated murder, soliciting another to commit an offense and false official statement," according to a Reuters report. Eight...

The Marine Corps has now acknowledged that none of the Marines charged with criminal offenses for their actions at Haditha, Iraq committed murder. Lieutenant General Samuel Helland’s decision to dismiss charges of unpremeditated murder against Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich lay to rest specious allegations by Time Magazine reporter Tim McGirk and Congressman John Murtha that a My Lai-style massacre occurred in Haditha on November 19, 2005. A Marine Corps spokesman said Monday that Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will face trial on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice for his role in...

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the accused leader in the 2005 killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, will face voluntary manslaughter charges but not more serious murder charges, the U.S. Marines said on Monday. "The charges referred against SSgt Wuterich are voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice," Camp Pendleton, California, said in a statement. Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, the commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central, "dismissed the charges of unpremeditated murder, soliciting another to commit an offense and false official statement," the statement said. Eight Marines...

Photo above: SSgt Frank Wuterich and then-Cpl Hector Salinas in Iraq, 2005. Click to enlarge.Marine Corps Sergeant Hector A. Salinas (erroneously identified as a murder suspect by the media for his role at Haditha, Iraq but never charged) has been granted testimonial immunity by the general overseeing the investigation of the so-called “massacre” of 24 Iraqi citizens killed that day. On November 19, 2005 Salinas, then 21, was a grenadier in a squad of Marine infantrymen from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines that was ambushed by an Al Qaeda financed and led attack force at Haditha. His four-vehicle convoy...

Lawyers for Rep. John P. Murtha will appeal a recent ruling advancing a defamation lawsuit brought against the Pennsylvania Democrat by a U.S. Marine under investigation for killing Iraqi civilians. Justice Department lawyers representing Murtha on Nov. 16 filed notice that they planned to appeal a federal district court judge’s Sept. 28 ruling allowing the lawsuit to proceed and ordering Murtha to give sworn testimony in the case. Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich sued Murtha in August 2006, accusing the 17-term congressman of defaming him during a news conference last year on the Nov. 19, 2005 killings of Iraqi civilians...

Note: This is an excerpt, in text form, for convenience. To see the entire report (including its footnotes), go here for a pdf. ________________________________________________________Summary of factsOn 19 November 2005, in Haditha, Iraq, Staff Sergeant Wuterich (SSgt) was the driver of the third vehicle of a four vehicle convoy. As the convoy traveled down route Chestnut returning from a logistics mission, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded under the fourth vehicle in the convoy. Prior to the explosion LCpl Sharratt waved to a driver of an oncoming white sedan to pull over as the convoy approached. Directing oncoming traffic to pull...

Are Members of Congress Accountable for Anything? By Clarice Feldman Are Congressmen above the law? The case of Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich against Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) tests this basic question. Of course there are other reasons to ask the same question. In a year when Congressional committees see no limits to what they will subpoena from the executive branch or about what they will interrogate its officers and employees, they rushed to court to keep the Department of Justice from subpoenaing the records of a Congressman caught with tens of thousands of dollars in his freezer. [snip] It is...

Official recommends Wuterich should be tried for negligent homicide in deaths of two women, five children CAMP PENDLETON -- A Marine Corps official has recommended that murder charges be dismissed against a Camp Pendleton squad leader accused in the deaths of 17 civilians killed in the Iraqi city of Haditha two years ago. The official, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, said in a recommendation obtained by the North County Times that rather than face murder charges, squad leader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich should be tried for the lesser offense of negligent homicide in the deaths of five children and two women....

Saturday, November 19, 2005 started off as a normal day for 1st Squad 3rd Platoon Kilo Company in Hadithah, Iraq. 0530 was reveille and 0600 I gave my patrol brief to the squad. Although, the mission was something we had conducted and accomplished dozens of times before, today would be extraordinarily different. The vehicle order was the same, and the squad break-down was the same. Two forms of positive communication was a requirement and that was met with a 148 in the third vehicle, and VRC-89 in the first vehicle which was a hard back HMMWV. The other three vehicles...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A Marine accused in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians said Thursday his mission changed from a supply run to countering an attack after a roadside bomb killed a fellow Marine. Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich made his unsworn statement as a military hearing ended into the deaths in the town of Haditha in November 2005. "I realized my mission had changed. We had practiced this mission countless times before, in classrooms, on whiteboards," said Wuterich, who faces charges of unpremeditated murder. Wuterich also said he will "always mourn the unfortunate deaths of the innocent Iraqis...

CAMP PENDLETON -- A federal agent said Wednesday that he couldn't tell if five Iraqi civilians killed nearly two years ago in the city of Haditha were running away when they were shot, as a Marine staff sergeant charged with the killings contends. Special Agent Thomas Brady said his reconstruction of the scene outside a car where the five men were slain moments after a roadside bomb destroyed a Humvee and killed a lance corporal the morning of Nov. 19, 2005, was inconclusive on that point. Brady's testimony came on the third day of an Article 32 hearing for Staff...

CAMP PENDLETON, California: Seconds after a roadside bomb exploded in Haditha and killed a Marine driving a Humvee, five Iraqi men who were at the scene in a white car were shot to death by the dead Marine's squad mates. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich has acknowledged shooting the men in the 2005 incident, but claims he did so because they were running away from the site of the blast. Combat rules at the time allowed Marines to shoot at people fleeing the scene of an attack. Precisely how the men died was to be scrutinized, as a the Article 32...

Camp Pendleton -- A sergeant granted immunity from prosecution for allegedly murdering five Iraqi men in Haditha crumbled under hard questioning by a Marine Corps lawyer in the second day of Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich's Article 32 hearing. Wuterich, 27, from Meriden, Connecticut is accused of murdering 17 Iraqi civilians following the ambush of his squad on November 19, 2005. During the daylong fight, 24 Iraqis were killed by Marines, dueling with several groups of insurgents hiding among the civilians cowering in their homes. When the fighting ended eight insurgents had been killed and at least two others were captured...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Flying over Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005, a small, unmanned spy plane called "Scan Eagle" recorded scenes of heavy fighting -- bombings and strafings from the air, and ground work by U.S. Marines seeking insurgents who earlier in the day had set off a roadside bomb that killed one of their members. Lawyers for Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will introduce video of Haditha taken by a drone as evidence. The Scan Eagle arrived about 30 minutes after the initial bomb attack on the Marines and does not show the the civilians being killed. It...

Ronald Perry and Bill Hesse have never met Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, but they consider him a brother. They will be watching with interest as Wuterich, a native of this small New England town, goes before a military judge in California this week charged with the unpremeditated murder of 18 Iraqi civilians...in the village of Haditha. The two Vietnam-era Marines have donated to Wuterich's defense fund and helped convince the city's Marine Corps League to do the same. Like many this small central Connecticut city, Perry and Hesse view Wuterich not as a killer, but as a patriot and...

HADITHA HERO- SSgt Frank Wuterich When choices had to be made..he did not shrink from the decisions. As a high school senior, Frank Wuterich entered the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program. Frank would become a United States Marine..the Few, the Proud, the Marines. It was a choice he felt he had to make. College would have to wait. Frank felt his country needed him more. Stationed at Parris Island, SC Sgt Wuterich trained as the war in Iraq passed him by. Frank re-enlisted and was transferred to Camp Pendleton, CA.. There he joined ‘The Thundering Third’- 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment,...

CAMP PENDLETON -- More answers to questions arising from the largest civilian killing incident since the start of the Iraq war are expected this week when the man at the center of the case, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, makes his first court appearance since being charged with murdering 18 people in the city of Haditha nearly two years ago. "He has nothing to hide," Wuterich's lead attorney, Neal Puckett, said last week. "We have faith that the military justice system will support split-second decisions made during combat," said Puckett. For Wuterich, a jail sentence isn't the only thing at stake....

MERIDEN - Rosemarie Wuterich was ecstatic Thursday after learning of a report that appears to exonerate one of the Marines accused in the November 2005 deaths of 24 men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq. It wasn't about her son, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, who is facing 18 murder charges, but the report on Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt includes her son and could help his case. "It's absolutely wonderful," Rosemarie Wuterich said from the west-side home where she and her husband, David, raised Frank and his sister, who were both adopted. "We're so happy for (Sharratt)," she continued....

I feel American Citizens must make their position known, regarding any conflict that we decide is necessary to stabilize our relationships with Foreign Nations. I feel that President Bush has not forgotten the 9/11 attack on the United States of America, as many of us tend to do, with the passage of time. Personally I applaud his actions; and, I have great regard for any person that has started a mission, and remains dedicated to the cause. We do not have enough Legislators, or American Citizens, that have the unwavering fortitude to remain “true to their cause”, even if they...

Our son is Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich the squad leader at Haditha. Most of you know the circumstances of Haditha, the ambush, the IED explosion, the loss of a comrade, the ensuing firefight, the aftermath of the engagement and then the media frenzy condemning our son and his squad. We would now like you to know a little bit about our son. As a young boy in elementary and middle school, Frank always wanted to be challenged to do his best and accomplish as much as possible. He had been in the gifted and talented program, the Target program, the...

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich speaks publicly about the Haditha killings for the first time with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.

INTERVIEW IS THIS SUNDAY! MARK YOUR CALENDARS. An exclusive "60 Minutes" (CBS) interview with Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich will air on March 18th, at 7p.m.(EST). Please watch, tell all your friends to watch, lend your support! God bless all of you!

MERIDEN - They've found their voice, and an online community that cares, prays and believes.Family members of accused Marine Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich have started a web site to raise awareness of his case and bolster his defense. The site, www.frankwuterich.com, contains information on Wuterich, who grew up in Meriden, and on the November 2005 incident in Haditha, Iraq, for which he is under investigation in connection with the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians. Wuterich and seven other Marines were charged two months ago on counts ranging from murder to dereliction of duty.Wuterich, a 1998 Platt High School graduate,...

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Servicemembers: Many of you may know that since June 2006, I have served as co-civilian counsel, along with Neal Puckett who is lead counsel (and Of Counsel to my law office), for SSgt Frank Wuterich, USMC. Frank is now facing multiple counts of murder for the events arising from the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians at Haditha, Iraq on November 19, 2005. He was the squad commander for the 3/1 that tragic day. This is a highly unusual case for me. Other than the dozen or so military courts-martials I handled back in 1999-2000 dealing with...

The Able Danger Blog has a letter up from Mark Zaid who is serving as co-counsel for one of the accused Haditha Marines, SSgt Frank Wuterich.  Please take a moment to read it: Dear Friends, Colleagues and Servicemembers: Many of you may know that since June 2006, I have served as co-civilian counsel, along with Neal Puckett who is lead counsel (and Of Counsel to my law office), for SSgt Frank Wuterich, USMC. Frank is now facing multiple counts of murder for the events arising from the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians at Haditha, Iraq on November 19, 2005. He...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine Corps squad leader was charged Thursday with 13 murder counts stemming from the killings of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year, his attorney said. Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of murdering individuals and one count of murdering six people by ordering Marines under his charge to "shoot first and ask questions later" when they entered a house, according to charging sheets released by defense attorney Neal Puckett. As many as eight Marines could be charged in the case, the biggest U.S. criminal case to emerge...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. lawmaker apologized on Tuesday to U.S. Marines under investigation in the deaths of two dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha in a statement his office said spared him from a libel lawsuit. Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline, a retired Marine Corps colonel, issued a three-paragraph statement under a deal with lawyers for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, one of the Marines under investigation. Wuterich's lawyers filed a libel lawsuit against another congressman, Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, on August 2 following his comments on the case.

Congressman makes apology to Haditha marines Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:14 PM ET Reuters By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. lawmaker apologized on Tuesday to U.S. Marines under investigation in the deaths of two dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha in a statement his office said spared him from a libel lawsuit. Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline, a retired Marine Corps colonel, issued a three-paragraph statement under a deal with lawyers for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, one of the Marines under investigation. Wuterich's lawyers filed a libel lawsuit against another congressman, Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, on August...

WASHINGTON - Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., apologized Monday to the Marines under investigation in the killings of two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, last November, saying that statements he made about the case were taken out of context and that he did not mean to imply the Marines were guilty of wrongdoing. Kline issued the apology as part of an agreement with lawyers for Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, who alleged Kline had damaged Wuterich's reputation. Wuterich has denied any wrongdoing in the Haditha case. None of the Marines involved has been charged. Wuterich took the unusual step earlier this...

NORTH COUNTY ---- The focus at Camp Pendleton is about to shift from teaching troops the latest warfare techniques to trying Marines for alleged war crimes in Iraq. Separate cases involving two Camp Pendleton units allege members of two platoons violated the Pentagon's rules of engagement and killed 25 Iraqis, many of whom authorities say were clearly noncombatants. One case, which arises out of the slaying of a 52-year-old Iraqi man in the village of Hamdania on April 26, has landed seven Marines and a Navy corpsman in the base brig on charges of premeditated murder and kidnapping. The other...

THE US sergeant who led the squad of marines that killed 24 Iraqis at Haditha has emerged from the shadows to reject accusations that civilians were massacred “in cold blood” in the worst American atrocity of the Iraq war, writes Sarah Baxter. Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 26, is suing Democrat congressman John Murtha, a decorated former marine, for libel after he publicly accused the squad of murder. He is also threatening to sue John Kline, a Republican congressman, unless he apologises for his comments on Haditha. Two dozen men, women and children were killed last November in the insurgent stronghold...

Rep. John Murtha, responding Wednesday to a defamation lawsuit filed by a Marine accused of killing Iraqi civilians in 2005, mistakenly said Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich had been "charged in the incident at Haditha." In fact, no charges have been filed against anybody. Murtha quickly issued a new press release Wednesday deleting "charged" and describing Wuterich as leader of "the squad accused of killing two dozen civilians." The lawsuit accused Murtha of spreading "false and malicious lies" about the sergeant in his May 19 statement which said Marines "killed a number of civilians without anybody firing at them."

Excerpt - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Marine Corps briefed Rep. John Murtha on the Haditha case after the vocal war critic publicly said Marines had killed innocent civilians in that Iraqi city, the Corps said on Thursday. A group of Marines, while suspected in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians, has not been charged, and official results from the military's investigation remain outstanding. A U.S. defense official said on Wednesday, however that evidence indicates Marines deliberately shot to death unarmed civilians. Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is being sued by one of the accused Marines for libel....

Marine alleges libel By SANDRA K. REABUCK The Tribune-Democrat — A Marine Corps sergeant who is under investigation in connection with the deaths of Iraqi civilians has sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha claiming defamation. And as Murtha took to the campaign trail in Cambria County on Wednesday, he defended his intent in speaking out about the massacre of 24 people in Haditha. He said he wanted to focus the public's attention on the pressures American soldiers face in the unconventional warfare in Iraq, not to defame Marines. Marine Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday in Washington,...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Marine staff sergeant linked to the killings of civilians in Haditha, Iraq, is suing anti-war Congressman John Murtha for libel, his attorneys announced Wednesday.

Murtha issues statement on lawsuit Johnstown, PA - Congressman John Murtha today released the following statement about a lawsuit filed by a Marine Corps staff sergeant charged in the incident at Haditha in November 2005. An Associated Press story filed earlier this morning said that evidence collected in Haditha “supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot” 24 civilians, including unarmed women and children. “I don’t blame the staff sergeant for lashing out. When I spoke up about Haditha, my intention was to draw attention to the horrendous pressure put on our troops in Iraq and to the cover-up of the...

A Marine Corps staff sergeant who led the squad accused of killing two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, will file a lawsuit today in federal court in Washington claiming that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) defamed him when the congressman made public comments about the incident earlier this year. Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that Murtha tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Murtha also said repeatedly that...