Is there a good article on the ABSCAM scandal that I can send to a lib neighbor?
National Security: Contrary to popular opinion, Rep. John Murtha, the ex-Marine who called for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, is no hawk.
He may also soon be probed for misusing defense appropriations.
"If you want anything done on the committee, you go to Murtha."
He's delivered so much pork to his congressional district, an airport and a major highway are named after Murtha.
Ashdown and his nonpartisan watchdog group criticized Murtha for using the $417 billion fiscal 2005 Pentagon spending bill to give business to his lobbyist brother.
The Los Angeles Times in June reported that Murtha funneled nearly $21 million to 10 or more corporate clients of KSA Consulting, where Robert "Kit" Murtha is a senior partner.
Carmen Scialabba, a Murtha congressional aide for 27 years, is also a high-ranking official at KSA.
The newspaper Roll Call reported that there might be a House ethics committee investigation of Murtha's apparent improprieties.
But is that possible now that Murtha has become the media's "hawk with a conscience?"
Come to think of it, could Murtha have been thinking about a possible ethics investigation when he decided to throw himself into the public limelight last week?
http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=20&artnum=1&issue=20051121
Federal prosecutors designated him an unindicted co-conspirator in the Abscam investigation 26 years ago.
I was reminded of it after Murtha became a candidate for majority leader, not by a Republican hit man but a Democratic former colleague in the House. In a long political career, Murtha has made bitter enemies inside his party who are alarmed by his new stature.
In 1980, the FBI named him as one of eight members of Congress videotaped being offered bribes by a phony Arab sheik.
The other seven targets took cash and were convicted in federal court.
The videotape showed Murtha declining to take cash but expressing interest in further negotiations, while bragging about his political influence.
Murtha testified against the popular Rep. Frank Thompson, which created lifelong enemies in the Democratic cloakroom.
The House Ethics Committee exonerated Murtha of misconduct charges by a largely party-line vote, after which the committee's special counsel resigned in protest."
http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak22.html
There are a lot. I just did a wiki search - it seems to be laid out pretty well there, but just google it - also, rush's website has some of his commentary on it as well.