| Just about a flying pig moment, as Uncle John is about to go under the bus. If he gets pushed out now the Dems will find someone who will run against Col. Russell in 2010 ... |
The nephew insists “good work,” not Uncle John, is the key to his success. But e-mails obtained by The Washington Post show the nephew touting family clout. One message advises a partner that a condition for “keeping funds flowing” mandates that part of the contract money, approved through Representative Murtha’s powerful defense appropriations subcommittee, be channeled to companies in Johnstown, Pa., his uncle’s home district. “This has been a requirement for what I do to get dollars through,” Robert Murtha declared.
Such alarming candor should spark an immediate ethics inquiry into possible violations of House quid-pro-quo strictures. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is resistant, even as Democrats rightly worry that the anti-corruption issue they won on will boomerang in the next election.
Federal agents already are looking into possible illegal contributions steered to Mr. Murtha and other committee members by the now defunct PMA Group. The lobbying firm was founded by one of the avuncular Mr. Murtha’s former protégés and made millions scoring big-ticket defense contracts.
Mr. Murtha and two subcommittee colleagues, Peter Visclosky of Indiana and James Moran of Virginia, received more than $4 million in campaign contributions from contract hungry PMA Group clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. In two recent budgets alone, the three earmarked $137 million for PMA Group clients. It is time to follow the money — all of it.