Democrats Must Force Murtha to Resign
Tags: Democrat Culture of Corruption, Jack Murtha.
Click here to get Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority by Matt Margolis and Mark Noonan.
Or be now and forever the party of corruption:
The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.
Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech’s most striking feature is its owner — Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department’s spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
Robert Murtha said he is not at liberty to discuss in detail what his company does, but for four years it has subsisted on defense contracts, according to records and interviews.
Democrats: Jack Murtha, your anti-war hero of yore, is stealing the taxpayer’s money to enrich himself and his family. There is absolutely not doubt of this – only a purblind idiot can’t see what is going on here. So, you have your choice: be complete idiots, or call for Murtha’s resignation. You ran in 2006 with a promise to end the alleged GOP “culture of corruption”. Matt and I warned you – in Caucus of Corruption – that you’ll get nowhere fighting corruption unless you hold your own side to the same standard you hold the GOP. This is plain as a pikestaff – this doesn’t take any deep thought or intense investigation of a tangled web: Murtha is corrupt as the day is long.
What will you do?
Thank you for visiting Blogs For Victory. If you enjoy our content, please consider making a donation to help us cover the costs of our servers.Mark Noonan is co-author (with Matt Margolis) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at Nevada News and Views. Follow Mark on Twitter.
35 Responses to “Democrats Must Force Murtha to Resign”
Caucus of Corruption
in the old days they would’a tarred and feathered the critter…and then run him outta town on a rail…these days…they just talk about it….and do nothing…
I will bet that if Murtha had an R after his name, this story might be more prominent in the media.
What do you think?
cluster
pubie = blasted all over the news, on every tv show…larry kink, whoraldo, etc.
donkRAT….move on nothing there.
why do the wingnuts hate murtha so much?
lets see…(fingers drumming)…cause he’s anti abortion & gun control? naw cant be…
or maybe cause he volunteered for vietnam as a marine corps officer & was awarded the Bronze Star? nope…
perhaps cause he’s had scandals? yea, that’s it – everyone knows how wingnuts hate elected dems who have scandals, right? all that negative publicity & fundraising potential…
oh wait, the thought occurs that wingnuts really hate murtha cause..
…there were no nukes in iraq!
why do the wingnuts hate murtha so much? – ohio
Did you read the story? Or how about when Murtha falsely accused our soldiers of “killing in cold blood”?
ohio, what exactly do you use for brains?
And how’s my favorite federalist?
ohio
or maybe cause he volunteered for vietnam as a marine corps officer & was awarded the Bronze Star? nope…
OR maybe he was a johnkerryesque scum bag field “commander” who put HIMSELF up for field metals……aka FAT, FAKE, FRAUD, LYING PIG.
seems not much has changed for old mr accusing Marins to be murderers.
I hope he joins kennedy soon!
who u kidding? yourselves?
wingnuts would pay NO attention to murtha if nukes WERE found in iraq.
fmrmarine says:
May 5th, 2009 at 9:55 am
ur branch, not mine. seems like an extreme reaction.
Nice spin, Ohio. I thought you folks on the Left were supposed to be against corruption? You campaigned on it for years. Now you have Murtha, and you defend him. Why?
ohio
WMD…. and a nuke program…..stupid is as stupid does!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i87cZ3Og6ts&feature=PlayList&p=4E9F673FF0098E87&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3
it comes down to basic ethical standards…either we accept or reject what they do…this issue isnt one about coincidence…murtha’s nephew knew exactly what to do…when to do it…and how to conduct himself…to land this no compete contract…when no other person in the nation had a clue what needed to be bid for…murtha’s nephew shows up with the perfect company at the exact time its needed…
nothing less than insider trading…martha stewart went to jail for just denying that she did something….and was convicted on heresay….nothing more than…he said she said…but this case with murtha’s nephew…both of them had to have conspired to accomplish this…
yet neither of them will ever see the inside of a prison…let alone…be arrested for what they did…
With all due respect, if the WaPo article is correct it seems that a number of intermediate dots have to be connected before you can seriously call this a scandal. Specifically, it appears that Murtech was never a recipient of an earmark thrown their way by Jack Murtha. Rather, they received a no-bid contract from the Army. And according to the article, “the congressman never contacted the Army command about his nephew’s company and has no say in its procurement decisions.” Thus, to my mind, calling this a scandal is a bit of a stretch.
On the other hand, the PMA investigation sounds quite a bit more substantial. But even there it’s quite possible that Murtha is playing by the rules as they currently stand. And that, to me, is the underlying problem. It’s not so much Murtha as it is the rules. If you don’t change the rules some other “Murtha” will take Murtha’s place. I don’t understand the defense of the concept of the “earmark”. There seems to me something very wrong with the idea that a congressman can directly intervene in the procurement process and directly stipulate that money should be spent for whatever project. I don’t have a problem with influence per se, only direct influence. IMO, it should not be possible to completely short-circuit the appropriations process. But given that it is possible, if I were a congressman would I engage in it to the best of my ability? You betcha. It may sound hypocritical to some when I say that I would take advantage of the rules as they exist to the best of my ability, while at the same time fighting to change them to the best of my ability when I think they’re wrong, but I do so because I am willing to acknowledge that my preferences are not necessarily correct. For example, I invested several tens of thousands of dollars in defense-related companies in early 2003, even though I thought the decision to invade Iraq was premature. It was a perfectly legal maneuver on my part to do so. And though I wished things were different, it wasn’t my call. So frankly, I didn’t have any problem taking advantage of a no brainer even though I thought it was a bad move. I think history proved me right on both counts. And it was certainly lucrative.
At any rate, it seems to me better to concentrate one’s indignation on the rules themselves, not those who play by them. It is only appropriate to concentrate one’s indignation on those who break the rules. And so far there is precious little evidence that Murtha has broken the rules. That may be a sad commentary, but it’s true.
ohio, you have to answer Teach’s question about corruption or your defense of Murtha makes no sense at all.
Ricorun,
Sorry, but you’re falling for the spin – the “lets carefully investigate this and hope that the spotlight goes elsewhere and power players can quash any attempt at indictment” MO of corrupt politics. Murtha’s nephew got the contracts because his uncle pushed them his way – period, end of story. He wouldn’t have got them except for the fact that he’s Murtha’s nephew.
Murtha has been doing this sort of thing for decades and his family has been vastly enriched at the public expense because of it. Its time to bring it to an end – if you on your side have the guts to go after your own.
The same goes for you. Should Dick Cheney be investigated for spectacularly enriching Halliburton even as they were murdering our troops in their showers?
Rico’s claim had a source. Yours does not.
Rico’s claim had a source. Yours does not.
That hardly matters. Mark believes it, ergo, it must be considered true. Remember, beliefs trump facts in Mark’s world.
Oh, and Dick Cheney should never be investigated for anything at any time; investigating him will lead to–you guessed it!–civil war.
SA
The same goes for you. Should Dick Cheney be investigated for spectacularly enriching Halliburton even as they were murdering our troops in their showers?
go back to your dorm, forget the swill your commie handlers tell you and OD on some crack!
orlando
more delusional ramblings from our resident TROLL,
one of the founding fathers of the mental midget club.
Now run home to your mommy…bloch!
Sorry, but you’re falling for the spin – the “lets carefully investigate this and hope that the spotlight goes elsewhere and power players can quash any attempt at indictment” MO of corrupt politics.
Well, like I said — it’s the system, not the individuals that are the real problem. If you concentrate only on the individuals then you won’t solve much of anything. Other individuals will always fill their place. Under that scenario (where the rules don’t change), even term limits are very unlikely to help much.
Murtha’s nephew got the contracts because his uncle pushed them his way – period, end of story.
Again, to claim that a number of intermediate dots need to be connected. And so far they haven’t been. Thus, there is no “period, end of story”.
You know what – Screw Murtha. The guy’s just too fishy to be in politics.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I am in no way defending John Murtha. I think he should be investigated for his relationships to lobbyists and, if found to have broken the law, tried by the Justice Department.
Now, I read the article and it was nothing but innuendo against Murtha’s nephew. I know Government contracting, specifically DoD contracting, and Murtech doesn’t appear to have done anything wrong. The work Murtech is doing was legally awarded and the article provided no evidence that John Murtha had anything to do with it. SA was awarded the original contract and Murtech was subcontracted to SA. For some reason SA could no longer be the prime contractor. I don’t know anything about the company, so I don’t know if they went out of business, grew too large for the type of contract, had legal problems, or what, but for some reason they could not prime. The customer still had the requirement for the work that Murtech was already doing as a sub, so they sole-sourced a contract to Murtech to continue the work. The reason given by the Government (it was pretty busy in the office at the time) is a poor excuse for sole-sourcing, but they were able to continue the work uninterrupted, award a contract to a veteran owned small business, and not have to spend the time and money going through a competition for that small of an amount ($4M/year may sound like a lot but it really isn’t in DoD contracting). If the Government had competed the contract, they most likely would have only had a single bid from Murtech. Very few companies would waste the time and money developing a proposal to try and unseat an incumbent for a mere $4M/year.
So from reading the article it looks like Murtech did everything completely above board, but the owner just had the misfortune of being related to John Murtha. It is unfortunate because this company is now tainted based on nothing but speculation and it may be fatal. How many companies will be willing to team with Murtech after this story was published? I can say I wouldn’t even if they are 100% innocent. What are the chances Murtech will be awarded a contract when the Government is afraid the award will be investigated or protested? This article should never have been published.
kmg1
what a delusional twit.
Are you on the ACORN – donk rat payroll like bloch.
The guy is a POS yet you defend him.
you expose your self to be a useful idiot-troll
fmrmarine,
And you are completely ignorant on this topic. I said I was not defending John Murtha and the article had NO evidence that his nephew did anything wrong. You libel the man with no evidence just because of his last name.
I don’t tell you about AC duct work; don’t tell me about Government contracting.
Gee, sorry, I didn’t realize you cared so little about the murder of your brothers in arms.
kmg1
I don’t tell you about AC duct work; don’t tell me about Government contracting.
“Ac duct work” is the result of contracting.
Contracting with the govt. is one small element of the industry.
He set up a shell corp. with relatives, bearing his name and presto chango they obtain a lucrative no compete contract.
People have gone to prison for less than that, yet you defend him……lemming!
SA……go play on the swing set until your mommy picks you up……dont forget your power ranger lunch box!
fmrmarine: He set up a shell corp. with relatives, bearing his name and presto chango they obtain a lucrative no compete contract.
I suppose it’s possible. After all, Duke Cunningham’s association with the “Poway Mafia” (that’s what they called themselves) involved numerous shell companies, inappropriate contacts by Cunningham to various appropriations managers inside the CIA, as well as a willing, highly placed conspirator inside the CIA in Dusty Foggo. The difference is that all those things were eventually proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. At present, the situation with Murtech is only unsubstantiated innuendo.
It might also be interesting to note that various individuals in the Poway Mafia (most notably Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade — both of whom were ultimately convicted) also contributed heavily to other politicians such as Arnold Schwartzenegger and Tom Delay. In the case of Schwartzenegger, no quid pro quo was ever sufficiently demonstrated, even though Brent Wilkes, his wife, and companies, had contributed over $70,000 to Schwartzenegger’s campaign and was subsequently awarded two gubernatorial appointments.
Delay’s case is still pending. His associations with Wilkes, Wade, etc., may be totally innocent (e.g., see here.). And unless and until there is compelling evidence to suggest otherwise, that seems to me to be the appropriate assumption.
“Ac duct work” is the result of contracting.
Congratulations. You know how to put a couple pieces of tin together but you don’t know squat about the mechanics of Government contracting.
Contracting with the govt. is one small element of the industry.
And that is the part of the industry that Murtech is working in.
He set up a shell corp. with relatives, bearing his name and presto chango they obtain a lucrative no compete contract.
People have gone to prison for less than that, yet you defend him……lemming!
And that is a blatant lie.
1. It is not a shell corporation. The business is doing work on contract with the DoD.
2. There was no “presto chango” in obtaining a “lucrative” contract. According to the article, he started the business with help from his relatives, won work as a subcontractor to SA, then was awarded the no-bid contract based upon his past and present performance doing the exact same work.
I don’t care what you think of John Murtha or his brother, but there is no evidence in this article that Robert Murtha’s business has been anything other than legit. Yet because of your seething hatred for Democrats and John Murtha in particular, you are willing to libel a Marine who served his country with honor. And I am not talking about John Murtha, I am talking about his nephew Robert who owns the business. That you would smear a fellow Marine for no other reason than your hate for his uncle makes you a disgrace to the uniform.
As concerned about ethics as liberals once were, I expected to see posts more in line with, “wow, this doesn’t pass the smell test” re: Murtha.
But nope. All I read is deflections to the GOP and excuses for Murtha.
I love this new era of hope and change.
“Murtha’s nephew got the contracts because his uncle pushed them his way – period, end of story.”
-Mark
So you say.
“The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.”
- Relevance?
He wouldn’t have got them except for the fact that he’s Murtha’s nephew.
That is pure BS, Mark. You know less than nothing about Murtech. Your sole source of knowledge comes from this one article and yet you pass judgement on this company. Then you have the gall to cry that Democrats are smearing Jindal with guilt by association?
cam and kmg,
And you know – and I mean, you know – that Murtha is guilty. You’re not stupid enough to believe otherwise. And thus you should be very, very ashamed of yourselves right now. Seriously, is your service to the left worth being completely dishonored?
You give him to much credit. The article itself says,
Perhaps he only read the first page.
You might want to ask yourself the same thing regarding your service to the Right. Unless the Pentagon is lying, Murtha had nothing to do with the contract. You know this, as the above quote has been cited on this thread before.
Murtha’s nephew got the contracts because his uncle pushed them his way – period, end of story. He wouldn’t have got them except for the fact that he’s Murtha’s nephew.
Mark Noonan says:
May 5th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
On a blog they call that a “gut instinct.” In a newspaper or in a courtroom it’s called libel or perjury. I’ve been reading quite a bit of source material about Murtech and I can’t find one instance that would make me utter that statement you made in a court room. I sure hope no one from Murtha’s office reads this blog.
Of course this is nothing like the Custer battles debacle in Iraq or the KBR no bid contracts because Cheney was Veep, right?
Mark,
And you know – and I mean, you know – that we are talking about Robert Murtha, the owner of Murtech, not Jack Murtha. You are the one being dishonored, not us.
bloch,
With the KBR no bid contracts Cheney still had interests in that company. Murtha has no connection and certainly has taken no action that can be shown to have an impact on the contracting process regarding these contracts. A good part of the time when Mark’s logic is lacking its because he fails to differentiate between coincidence and causation.
While he has been able to point out two unrelated events, he has not shown any relationship between those two events. But that doesn’t matter to him. For if he believes it and then repeats it, it must be true. I will call this Mark Noonan’s Repetition is Truth Theory.