Jack Murtha Steps In It Again
Poor Jack Murtha. He is not seen as legitimate or sane in the House right now. He threatens impeachment for the president if the president followed through on his veto promise for a faulty appropriations bill. He screams and yells at panelists on talking heads Sunday shows. Today, the Politico reports that he may have violated House rules:
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) threatened to deny any further spending projects to a Republican who challenged him over an earmark last week, the GOP is charging – a potential violation of House rules that could cause a spike in partisan tensions.Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who questioned money that Murtha inserted into an intelligence bill last week, turned the tables Thursday night by saying he would call for Murtha to be reprimanded for violating House rules.
Rogers plans to insert a transcript of their exchange in the Congressional Record to document the potential violation. His resolution will also require a House vote to reprimand Murtha for his comments, according to a draft received by The Politico. Rogers is expected to file it on Monday.
It does not call for an investigation by the Ethics Committee.
'The way I do it'
According to the draft resolution, Murtha shouted at and chastised Rogers on the House floor Thursday for offering a motion last week to challenge $23 million Murtha requested in an intelligence bill.
Murtha had requested the money to prevent the administration from shuttering the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, Pa., which is part of Murtha’s district.
“I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bills because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever,” Murtha told Rogers, according to the draft transcript given to The Politico.
“This is not the way we do things here – and is that supposed to make me afraid of you?” Rogers replied.
“That’s the way I do it,” Murtha said.The showdown occurred on the Republican side of the aisle, in the so-called Ohio Corner, in front of numerous GOP lawmakers who witnessed the episode, one member present said.
Murtha could not immediately be reached for comment.
If it took place as alleged, Murtha’s tirade could violate House rules, which forbid members from blocking earmarks based on how a colleague votes.
The Rogers resolution charges that “Mr. Murtha has been guilty of a violation of the Code of Official Conduct and merits the reprimand of the House for the same.”
This shouting match follows a similar outburst Murtha directed at Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) last week.
Murtha yelled at Tiahrt on the House floor for voting in favor of Rogers’s motion, members and aides familiar with the incident said.
The overall controversy stems from a disagreement between Murtha and the Bush administration about closing the National Drug Intelligence Center, an intelligence gathering facility supervised by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
President Bush’s budget cut $23 million from the budget to force the agency to close the office, which has received repeated low marks from several federal review boards.
Politico has an update at the end of the story showing Murtha backpeddling on this issue, stating that:
“The committee and staff give every Democrat and Republican the same consideration, we have extensive hearings and every request is given careful consideration. We will continue to do just that.”
He is not backing down or denying the confrontation took place. He is capitulating because he knows what he did was wrong, and he faces a reprimand from the House. This senile old fool needs to go. He is no longer of sound mind to be serving in the House. We warned voters in 2006 that if he won, he was going to reveal how unhinged he really is, and he is doing precisely that.
Marcie
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) threatened to deny any further spending projects to a Republican who challenged him over an earmark last week, the GOP is charging – a potential violation of House rules that could cause a spike in partisan tensions.Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who questioned money that Murtha inserted into an intelligence bill last week, turned the tables Thursday night by saying he would call for Murtha to be reprimanded for violating House rules.
Rogers plans to insert a transcript of their exchange in the Congressional Record to document the potential violation. His resolution will also require a House vote to reprimand Murtha for his comments, according to a draft received by The Politico. Rogers is expected to file it on Monday.
It does not call for an investigation by the Ethics Committee.
'The way I do it'
According to the draft resolution, Murtha shouted at and chastised Rogers on the House floor Thursday for offering a motion last week to challenge $23 million Murtha requested in an intelligence bill.
Murtha had requested the money to prevent the administration from shuttering the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, Pa., which is part of Murtha’s district.
“I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bills because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever,” Murtha told Rogers, according to the draft transcript given to The Politico.
“This is not the way we do things here – and is that supposed to make me afraid of you?” Rogers replied.
“That’s the way I do it,” Murtha said.The showdown occurred on the Republican side of the aisle, in the so-called Ohio Corner, in front of numerous GOP lawmakers who witnessed the episode, one member present said.
Murtha could not immediately be reached for comment.
If it took place as alleged, Murtha’s tirade could violate House rules, which forbid members from blocking earmarks based on how a colleague votes.
The Rogers resolution charges that “Mr. Murtha has been guilty of a violation of the Code of Official Conduct and merits the reprimand of the House for the same.”
This shouting match follows a similar outburst Murtha directed at Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) last week.
Murtha yelled at Tiahrt on the House floor for voting in favor of Rogers’s motion, members and aides familiar with the incident said.
The overall controversy stems from a disagreement between Murtha and the Bush administration about closing the National Drug Intelligence Center, an intelligence gathering facility supervised by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
President Bush’s budget cut $23 million from the budget to force the agency to close the office, which has received repeated low marks from several federal review boards.
Politico has an update at the end of the story showing Murtha backpeddling on this issue, stating that:
“The committee and staff give every Democrat and Republican the same consideration, we have extensive hearings and every request is given careful consideration. We will continue to do just that.”
He is not backing down or denying the confrontation took place. He is capitulating because he knows what he did was wrong, and he faces a reprimand from the House. This senile old fool needs to go. He is no longer of sound mind to be serving in the House. We warned voters in 2006 that if he won, he was going to reveal how unhinged he really is, and he is doing precisely that.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 11:05 AM
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