Murtha Ignored Corruption
Murtha Says He Was Just Discussing Investments In His District. But Even Then The Tapes Show That He Is Unfit For Congress
By Gerry Daly Posted in Congress — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Erick earlier linked to this American Spectator article on the newly available full transcript of Rep. John Murtha's (D) involvement in Abscam. They describe Murtha's accounts thusly:
If one were to believe Congressman Murtha, he met with men whom he believed to be representatives of Arab sheiks on January 7, 1980, to discuss "investments in his district," with the object of bringing in jobs. After news of the Abscam investigation broke and FBI agents fanned out around Washington notifying their targets on February 2, 1980, Murtha told reporters, "I did not consider that any money was offered, and certainly none was taken, and the FBI who taped the entire conversation knows damn well no money changed hands." The February 9, 1980 Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report echoed that story, reporting Murtha as saying, "I assumed the lawyer was going to make the $50,000 [bribe].... Then later I thought, 'Their lawyer's getting $50,000 and he's not worth too much because [he] doesn't even know how to get his client into the country.'"
You can read the transcript to see if you buy Murtha's explanation.
However, regardless of if Murtha was really trying to arrange a bribe for himself but was being very careful, the transcripts show clearly-- he was aware that Congressmen were soliciting bribes, and he did nothing to expose the crimes. Even if, as Murtha asserted, "no money changed hands," his own words show that he knew there was bribery occurring with members of his own caucus, but he did not act on this in a manner consistent with the minimal standards for a member of Congress.
Read on.
Here is Rep. Murtha, in his own words, from the tapes. (Thompson and Murphy are former Congressmen Frank Thompson (D-N.J.) and John Murphy (D-N.Y.)).
MURTHA: Lemme tell you something. You came to the right guys in order to get it done. And I think the way I'd handle it, you know, Murphy, and the other guy, they got, all three [Murtha, Murphy, and Thompson] of us got things we can each do. Each of us got different responsibility in a different area. But I want to do business with you. I mean I want to get the goddamn jobs in the area, you know, a few bank deposits in my area. Nothing I'd like better. Later on, after we've dealt a while, we might change our mind -- we might want to do more business. But right now, I think I can do more this way than any other way. I think I can do more by being completely independent, if you understand what I mean. And listen, it's hard for me, [expletive] it's hard for me to say, just the hell with it. But I think this is the way I can do the best, the most good.
WEINBERG: Get them squared away there.
MURTHA: Now, these other guys are expecting, no question about it, they're expecting some, uh...
WEINBERG: Well that's no problem as long as you tell Tony. You wanna go one-on-one with Tony, that's up to you.
MURTHA: Well I'm just telling you, they're expecting...
Not clear enough for you? There's more!
MURTHA: Is that all right, Tony, let me make it very clear. The other two guys [Thompson and 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. You know, so that's, that's, my deal is, is...
The long and short of it is that Murtha claimed that he was only interested in jobs in his area, not in taking bribes. He did think bribes were being offered, though. During the trial of Murphy and Thompson, Murtha said "Yes, I feel they were offering me money, yes." This means that Murtha was witness to the attempted bribery of Congressmen, and that Murtha knew the Congressmen "expect[ed] to be taken care of," and Murtha, who was a member of the Ethics committee, did nothing to report these crimes.
Do we really want in Congress a man who, in the most charitable take possible, was willing to turn a blind eye to corruption in his own caucus? And in the least charitable take possible, was attempting to be just like them, only a lot more cautious?
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Murtha Ignored Corruption 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Thanks for posting that
I agree with the comment that Murtha was clearly committing a sin of ommission here by letting Frank Thompson and John Murphy.
On the other hand, i think he makes it pretty clear that he is not taking bribes and he wants thinkgs to happen in his district. Example:
CRIDEN: Alright. Okay. I respect your position...in that you told me what you wanted me to do for you, okay. You give me the names, and I'll, in order to prove that I can do what I say I can do. You give me the names of the banks, okay, and tell me what kind of figure you're talking about putting in there, then let me put the money in there, then we'll talk.
MURTHA: What we'll talk about though is getting jobs for the district, and okay, fair enough...
Murtha DOES indicate that at some point maybe he would reconsider but you know, i think its done more the way someone acts who is being polite to someone who can be useful (like bringing money and jobs to a district).
That many members of congress were corrupt and taking bribes during that era is a given. Murtha acts like someone who understands the scene, is not going to make waves to upset it, but is not really going to participate either. Example:
MURTHA [12:14:13]: The thing is, what I'm trying to do is establish the very thing that you talked about. That tie to the district, that's all I need, from then on -- I'm gonna be there 20 years in that goddamn Congress. I don't want to screw it up by some little goddamn thing along the way that, if I wanted to make a lot of money I would have been outside making a lot of money. And you, I know what I can do and what I can't do...I won't bullshit you, that's for sure....you got two good people, and I just want to know -- well, I know the facts.
So yeah, not a shining moment for Murtha: but consider the tempation, the times, and how he ultimately handled it and I don't think this is what you are making it out to be.
because i just re-read what i wrote and it sounds like i am giving him a pass, and thats not my intent. I guess what I was trying to say is I am not sure there is any new startling revelation here -- and I find it hard to get excited about stuff that happened so long ago (especially given the lack of anything "new"). Though I understand and approve of the political motive for doing so.
I listened to the whole thing. There is nothing I would rather see than Murtha knocked off this election. I have contributed several times to Irey, and my heart leaped when I saw the article.
Unfortunately there are no zingers in the dialogue. You actually have to listen carefully to a great deal of profanity laced dialogue that sounds like it was lifted from some B grade gangster movie to get all the subtleties and it's not something that very many are going to do.
There is no question that Murtha failed to report what is fairly obviously a bribery situation. And that he holds out the possibility that at some future point he might be willing to be bribed. But I'm not sure that that is a crime per se. And while I don't claim expertise on the criminal legal matters at hand, he makes lots of statements about his concern for jobs and investment in the district that would be politically exculpatory. "Jack Murtha, fighting for our district, even if he has to deal with these classless bozos on their terms" would be an easy spin on the film.
Add to that the fact that this occurred a long time ago. For whatever reason Murtha got off with some scummy behavior, but after all this is Congress.
Like Jacabo, I hope nobody thinks I'm trying to give him a pass. But I am just not that impressed that this is going to change any votes. More like a bb than a silver bullet; it might sting but I doubt it can cause a serious wound.
The thing I understand least about this race is why I have yet to see a single national poll on it. Or much national attention. Irey is such an attractive candidate and Murtha such an opportunistic left wing jerk... in a district like this seems like it should be getting more play.
I have suspected all along that Murtha's idiotic stance on Iraq is driven by someone with a picture or tape that would burn Murtha good if he didn't play along. I am not even convinced that Jimmy Carter does not have a similar motivation.
Murtha thought the President should consult him on strategy. The President didn't. So Murtha changed his views on Iraq in a tantrum.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
. . .Murtha was to Abscam what Buck Weaver was to the Black Sox scandal--it's a shame that he didn't receive a punishment that resembled what Weaver got. Of course, the discredit for that goes to the voters in his district who tolerated then and continue to tolerate now such a dishonorable representative.
"If the cultivation of understanding consists in one thing more than another, it is surely in learning the grounds of one's own opinions."- Mill
You can do other things while listening to the audio, as I did. You really need to hear the vocal inflections and choice of words to get a feel of where he's coming from. It's much more plain than it appears on paper.