It’s a lovely morning today. The sun is shining down from a brilliantly-azure sky. The birds are singing counterpoint to the steady rumble of people getting up, going to work and living their lives. Somewhere, a child laughs with innocent delight as a sudden breeze stirs the grass, and sends dandelion seeds dancing through the air. And Air Force investigators are charging that various-and-sundry companies linked to Rep. Jack Murtha (and his lobbyist brother Kit Murtha) improperly received and used earmarks funneled to them by him.
When an Air Force command in north Florida sought new battlefield technologies, Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) steered millions in federal dollars its way to hire defense contractors.
The research effort at the Pensacola Air Force base fell apart, however, when investigators found evidence that it was used to improperly pay a series of companies linked to Murtha. A handful of defense firms were paid for work that was never done or not called for in the contracts. Some of the companies involved, based in Wyoming, Florida and Murtha’s district in Pennsylvania, had hidden owners, prosecutors allege; one was secretly owned by the Air Force official who helped approve the payments.
As prosecutors reveal new details of their criminal probe into the $8 million earmark that Murtha arranged for the Air Force project, one familiar player is never mentioned by authorities. Several of the companies had hired the lobbying firm of the lawmaker’s brother, Robert C. “Kit” Murtha.
They’ve already flipped one of the defendants: Richard Ianieri (formerly of Coherent Systems International, one of the companies involved) will be cooperating with the authorities on this and a probably-related kickback case. In other words, this is the point in the ongoing investigation timeline where the investigators have finally taken hold of the loose thread and are prepared to give it a good, hard yank – just to see what happens. This is also the point where people start mumbling things like ‘no wrongdoing has been proven on the part of my client’ rather than confidently shouting it: it’s not yet the point where sitting politicians start discovering a burning need to spend more time with their families, but there’s time for that.
If I may make an unasked-for observation: the Speaker of the House really should have sat down some of her more… enthusiastic appropriators in 2007 and gently explained to them that it would be a good idea for them to not run for re-election in 2008. Democratic retirees for the last two election cycles have been much lower than the GOP’s: it’s going to be very interesting to see whether that rebounds to their disfavor this go-round. Certainly the NRCC is going to be happy to run against some of the deadwood that the Democrats are keeping around to boost their margin of reliable votes…
Moe Lane
Crossposted to Moe Lane.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
Murtha may have broken Federal law here in Florida ?
Kenny Solomon (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 8:59AM EST (link)Ooooooh…… Can I make a citizen’s arrest ?
Can I, pretty please ?
I’ll be your best friend !
Well, all I can say...
mbecker908 (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 9:02AM EST (link)Correction to the Post article - I think.
Wing Zero (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 9:19AM EST (link)There is no such animal as Pensacola Air Force Base.
There are 3 bases in that area. NAS Pensacola (Naval Air Station – obviously not Air Force) Hurlbert Field, and Eglin AFB.
I’m not familiar with, nor have I ever heard of a “Pensacola AFB.”
My guess is that the article refers to Eglin, as it is a fairly huge base. That, and they do Raptor training there.
1-21-09 – We are so screwed… Wait… maybe not just yet.
If obama doesn't shove all his foney issues through now
bobojake (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 9:40AM EST (link)he won’t have any democrat left to vote for the foney healthcare as they will be in jail. may you enjoy your vacation in a government facitly with government healthcare Jack Murtha.
Murtha's a Sow
Duke Thursday, July 16th at 9:48AM EST (link)I live in WI and actually donated money to Bill Russel in order to try to get Murtha, the big, fat, stupid, crook, out of office. Bill was a real and honorable military officer who served in the field, unlike Murtha, a USMC intel officer that polished his ass on an office chair in the air condidtioning while the rest of us were out there getting shot full of holes getting info he could gin up into something that would make him look good.
Look up “BS’er” (I’d spell it out, but ‘no profanity’) in the dictionary and you’ll see Murtha’s picture.
It’s not about a purge. It’s about an insurrection.
Murtha was an Intel Officer?
Wing Zero (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 10:42AM EST (link)Well, that brings shame to my profession…
1-21-09 – We are so screwed… Wait… maybe not just yet.
I hope this not only sticks, but grows
Scope (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 10:55AM EST (link)and I hope even more so that those that can/will talk will not dissapear.
I hope this not only sticks, but grows
Scope (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 10:55AM EST (link)and I hope even more so that those that can/will talk will not dissapear.
I'd get excited about Murtha hopefully coming under indictment if....
JadedByPolitics (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 11:18AM EST (link)the idiots in his district did not keep voting him in. Mutha like Jefferson like Marion Barry could rob an elderly woman in her home and their constituents would still vote them in, hell they could probably kill an old woman in her home and they would still vote for them. I will take joy though when the dominoes start falling ending with Murtha in jail.
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:sigh: another day, another corrupt Democrat
randy streu (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 11:29AM EST (link)These jerks have gotten a pass from the media for far too long. We’ve got a good hole started here. It’s time to get the shovels and keep digging, until all of these worms are exposed. you know the Media ain’t gonna do it.
Blogging also at
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The Minority Report
And they get a pass from elected Repub's...
speciallist (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 11:37AM EST (link)They need to be unrelenting in their pursuit of Dem corruption, when politicians police their own, common folks start paying attention
And just for fun, a quick survey of the headlines highlighted on HuffPo's Murtha page:
randy streu (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 11:42AM EST (link)(only the juiciest bits)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/john-murtha
“Former drug dealers tied to Murtha-backed firm” 07.06.09
“Rep Murtha’s nephew got defense contact” 06.04.09
“Airport In Murtha’s District Gets $30M In Wartime Upgrades From Pentagon” 05.30.09
“Murtha: “If I’m Corrupt, It’s Because I Take Care Of My District”" 04.30.09
“Kos: Time For Democrats To Drop Murtha” 04.16.09
“Murtha Had Nearly $250 In Federal Funding Channeled His Way By Penn. Research Center” 04.16.09
“Feds Raid Firm Tied To Democratic Rep. John Murtha” 03.13.09
Blogging also at
SLC Republitarian
The Minority Report
He shouldn't even get the option to "spend more time with his family."
The_Gadfly (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 12:03PM EST (link)It should be straight to the federal pokey with no bail. To quote one of my favorite lines from the movie Heavy Metal:
Hangin’s too good for him! Burnin’s too good for him! He should be torn into littly bitty pieces and buried alive!
Of course since that won’t happen, could we at least cut his buttons off? That way maybe Wing Zero’s profession can recover a small measure of honor.
Sooo, I'm wondering how long before Obama's goons at DOJ
eburke (Diary) Thursday, July 16th at 12:18PM EST (link)call off the hunt?
“All that need be done for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
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