Last week, I noted the possibility of a plea deal in the trial of SSgt Frank Wuterich, the last of the U.S. Marines charged in connection to an alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in the village of Haditha in 2005.

(See here. All previous Wuterich trial coverage and Haditha links below.)

Today, the plea deal was reached. SSgt Wuterich’s defense team at Puckett Faraj says this afternoon:

Press Release, Aexandria VA January 23, 2012/12:45PM:

“No one denies that the consequences of November 19, 2005 were tragic, least of all SSgt Frank Wuterich. But the fact of the matter is that he has now been totally exonerated of the homicide charges brought against him by the government and the media. For six years, he’s had his name dragged through the mud. Today, we hope, is the beginning of his redemption. He has always publicly taken responsibility for the lawful actions of his squad that day, as portrayed in his interview with CBS 60 Minutes. Today’s agreement is completely consistent with everything he has always said. Which is that the decisions he made that day led to an outcome that was tragic and regrettable and he takes responsibility for them, but they were not criminal.”

The North County Times reports on the details:

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich agreed to plead guilty Monday to one count of negligent dereliction of duty, ending his trial on manslaughter and related charges for his role in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005.

“This was his decision and his decision alone,” Neal Puckett, Wuterich’s lead defense attorney, told the North County Times. “Staff Sergeant Wuterich believed this was the right and honorable thing to do.”

Negligent dereliction of duty is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 90 days in custody and a reduction or forfeiture of pay. It was not immediately known when a sentencing decision would be announced.

The deal was announced in court early Monday morning. After the announcement, Wuterich shook hands and hugged his parents, who have been watching the courtroom proceedings since the trial began.

The agreement has been approved by Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser.

The plea deal ends the six-year saga of eight Camp Pendleton Marines charged with criminal wrongdoing in the incident that took place in the city of Haditha at the height of the war.

A reminder of how the Left’s smear merchants tried and convicted the Haditha Marines in the court of public opinion — and got away with it:

Outrage came from around the world and from Washington, D.C., where the late Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha said he believed the Marines might have “killed in cold blood” and went on to say U.S. troops were overstressed.

The result was eight Marines being charged with crimes at Haditha, including four officers and four enlisted men.

Seven of those eight saw their cases resolved, some with the withdrawal of charges in exchange for their testimony, one acquitted at trial and others having charges dropped entirely.

Wuterich, a 31-year-old Murrieta single father of three girls, had pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors appeared ready to strike a plea deal last week after a series of their own witnesses gave testimony largely beneficial to Wuterich’s position that he believed he and his men were under attack and responded in keeping with their training.

Puckett said his client continues to believe his actions were lawful, despite the civilians deaths, which Wuterich has repeatedly said he regrets.

“He has always taken responsibility for his and his squad’s actions that day,” Puckett said. “Today’s agreement is completely consistent with everything he has said, which is that the decisions he made that day led to an outcome that was tragic and regrettable, but they were not criminal.”

***

(Graphic via Defend Our Marines)

***

Previous:

1/23/12 The trial of the last Haditha Marine: SSgt Wuterich takes plea deal

1/19/12 The last Haditha Marine: Trial update, prosecution collapse, plea deal in the works?

1/5/12 The last Haditha Marine: Wuterich trial update

1/2/12 Remember SSgt Frank D. Wuterich: The last Haditha Marine goes on trial

5/6/09 Haditha Marine update: Lt. Col. Chessani wins another round

4/23/09 Justice Dept. attorney: Murtha should be immune from Haditha lawsuit

11/19/08 Murtha Watch: Cut-and-run smear merchant wants immunity

8/23/08 When will Biden apologize for Haditha smear?

6/19/08 The fate of Lt. Col. Chessani, continued

6/18/08 Defining atrocity: Marines vs. the Haditha Smear Merchants

6/17/08 Haditha Watch: Charges dismissed against Lt. Col. Chessani

6/16/08 Haditha Watch: The fate of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani

June 5: Haditha Marine Lt. Andrew Grayson acquitted

3/28/08 Case dropped against Haditha defendant Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum

9/18/07 Charges dropped against Capt. Lucas McConnell

8/23/07 Charges recommended dropped against Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum

8/9/07 Charges dropped against Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt

4/17/07 Charges dropped against Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz

Let Freedom Ring reviews the Murtha Marine-smearing timeline.

Everything else you need to know is at Defend Our Marines.

At the beginning of the month, I told you about the trial of SSgt Frank D. Wuterich — the last of the Marines charged in connection to an alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in the village of Haditha in 2005.

The late corruptocrat John Murtha and the New York Slimes convicted and hanged the Marines in 2006 over the case before a single formal charge had been filed. Murtha slandered the troops before the world, declaring that “Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama unabashedly backed Murtha’s smears. NYTimes reporter Paul von Zielbauer initially filed over 30 stories on the case, which the paper had hyped as the “defining atrocity” of the Iraq war.

And then: One by one over the last six years, the Marines were exonerated.

April 2007: Charges dropped against Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz.

August 2007: Charges recommended dropped against Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum.

August 2007: Charges dropped against Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt.

September 2007: Charges dropped against Capt. Lucas McConnell.

March 28, 2008: Case dropped against Haditha defendant Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum.

June 5, 2008: Haditha Marine Lt. Andrew Grayson acquitted.

June 17, 2008: Charges dismissed against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani.

SSgt Wuterich’s trial has been ongoing the last three weeks.

Captain’s Journal has coverage here.

Defend Our Marines and our friend Sgt. Tim Sumner give a heads-up today that a plea deal may be in the works. The hearing had been scheduled to resume this afternoon, but was postponed until tomorrow morning. The LA Times reports:

Negotiations continued Thursday into a possible plea bargain in the court-martial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the last of eight defendants in the 2005 killing of 24 Iraqi civilians by Marines from Camp Pendleton.

At issue in the negotiations could be the kind of discharge that Wuterich will receive and what, if any, criminal charges he will plead guilty to.

Wuterich, 31, who was the squad leader during the killings in Haditha, is charged with manslaughter, assault and dereliction of duty. The dereliction of duty charge carries a lesser-included charge of failure to follow a lawful order.

The charges, if Wuterich were convicted on all counts, could bring a prison sentence of 154 years and a dishonorable discharge.

But the prosecution’s case has been undercut by testimony from two of its own witnesses that seemed to back the defense assertion that Wuterich was merely following orders and training when he led his squad into two “hostile” homes in search of insurgents.

Three other prosecution witnesses underwent stringent cross-examination by defense attorneys who doubted their credibility because of their various accounts of what happened on the morning of Nov. 19, 2005, after a roadside bomb killed one Marine and injured two.

The military judge, Lt. Col. David Jones, abruptly recessed the trial on Wednesday afternoon, instructing the attorneys to seek “other options.”

Jones initially set 8:30 a.m. Thursday to resume the trial. That was then readjusted to 1 p.m. Thirty minutes before the trial was to resume Thursday, Jones sent word that the jurors had been told that the next session would be 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Stay tuned to the Twitter account of SSgt Wuterich’s legal team at Puckett Faraj.

I told you on Monday about the opening of SSgt Frank D. Wuterich’s trial this week in connection to an alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in the village of Haditha in 2005. Seven have been exonerated. Wuterich is the last Haditha Marine standing.

Here’s the very latest on the proceedings.

SSgt Wuterich’s defense team succeeded in getting 4 more charges dismissed in the case.

Jury selection is underway.

Puckett Faraj is providing continuous updates on Twitter here.

SSgt Wuterich’s support site is here. Much more background from Defend Our Marines here.

I’ll continue to post dispatches until there’s a verdict.

Welcome to 2012. The headlines will be awash in presidential politics this week, but I want to make sure you take note of the trial of SSgt Frank D. Wuterich set to open Wednesday. He’s the last of the Marines charged in connection to an alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in the village of Haditha in 2005. The late corruptocrat John Murtha and the New York Slimes convicted and hanged the Marines in 2006 over the case before a single formal charge had been filed. Murtha slandered the troops before the world, declaring that “Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama unabashedly backed Murtha’s smears. NYTimes reporter Paul von Zielbauer initially filed over 30 stories on the case, which the paper had hyped as the “defining atrocity” of the Iraq war.

And then: One by one over the last six years, the Marines were exonerated.

April 2007: Charges dropped against Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz.

August 2007: Charges recommended dropped against Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum.

August 2007: Charges dropped against Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt.

September 2007: Charges dropped against Capt. Lucas McConnell.

March 28, 2008: Case dropped against Haditha defendant Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum.

June 5, 2008: Haditha Marine Lt. Andrew Grayson acquitted.

June 17, 2008: Charges dismissed against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani.

(Graphic via Defend Our Marines)

The Fishwrap of Record fell silent on the issue. So did troop-smearing tool Keith Olbermann, the Nation, and countless other progressive executioners likening Haditha to My Lai. Smear merchant John Murtha went to his grave without apologizing — encased in federal immunity protection.

Now, SSgt Wuterich is the last Haditha Marine standing. His war-crimes court martial begins on Wednesday at Camp Pendleton:

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich goes on trial for nine counts of manslaughter, assault and related offenses tied to his role leading his squad in the killing of two dozen Iraqi civilians in 2005.

Wuterich has pleaded not guilty and is the last of eight defendants charged in the killings that took place in the city of Haditha after a roadside bombing that killed a fellow Marine.

The seven other defendants charged in that —- which resulted in the largest war-crime prosecution arising out of the Iraq war, changed the rules of engagement, and touched off a political firestorm —- have all been exonerated through a variety of legal findings.

SSgt Wuterich has maintained his innocence from day one and has the support of military families nationwide. Defend Our Marines will be posting live blog updates from the trial. So will his law firm, Puckett and Faraj. They report:

SSgt Frank Wuterich, the last Marine originally charged in the deaths of 19 of 24 Iraqis killed in Haditha, Iraq in 2005, will be seated at the defense table in his general court-martial in just eight days. On November 19, 2005, insurgents detonated a 500-pound improvised explosive device under the fourth vehicle in his convoy, instantly killing the driver and seriously wounding the assistant driver and the gunner.

The platoon’s commander arrived soon after and ordered the Marines to clear houses to find the triggerman for the bomb and to neutralize snipers. By mid-afternoon, 24 Iraqis were dead. This was the first coordinated attack of five total launched against the Marine forces that morning in Haditha.

SSgt Wuterich’s case has been long and drawn out, first due to the choice to prosecute a group of Marines involved in a separate incident at Hamdaniya, Iraq occurring in 2006. Secondly, the government has incorrectly interpreted the evidence and assumed that the squad leader, SSgt Wuterich, was responsible for all the deaths. Lastly, Marine prosecutors delayed this trial two years litigating the admissibility of the outtakes of the CBS 60 Minutes interview of SSgt Wuterich. Later there was appellate litigation challenging the Government’s severance of SSgt Wuterich’s attorney/client relationship from his detailed military counsel who was not allowed to stay on active duty long enough to defend him.

This has been a long and hard fought battle for justice and the preservation of SSgt Wuterich’s Constitutional rights. We begin the war crimes general court-martial on January 4th. The government will try to prove that SSgt Wuterich was on a rampage and directed unlawful killings. The defense team will prove that the government overlooked key evidence and the truth of what really happened that day will be revealed.

The Law Firm of Puckett & Faraj is very appreciative of all the support for SSgt Wuterich over the last 5-1/2 years. We want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts, prayers, outspoken words and belief in Frank Wuterich’s innocence. We will be publishing a status of the trial when we can to keep you posted on our progress. Keep Frank Wuterich and his family in your thoughts throughout January!

***

Hey, you know who else smeared the Haditha Marines and has never apologized to the exonerated troops?

Vice President Joe Biden, who called for then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to step down during the Murtha-driven witch hunt campaign.

Wielding a tar brush to appease the appeasement lobby means never having to say you’re sorry.

Cox & Forkum, as always, put it best:

***

Related Haditha fishwrap news here and here. (h/t Sgt Tim)

That deranged talking head who called me a “big mashed up bag of meat with lipstick” and mocked my ethnic maiden name is suddenly concerned with public decorum.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has the pathetic video of cable clown Keith Olbermann naming me “worst person in the world” on Friday for telling the truth about corruptocrat smear merchant John Murtha and commenting on how stents came to market after President Clinton’s heart surgery (beyond the pale!).

As anyone with working eyes can read, the Murtha column was published on February 12. Murtha died on February 8. According to Olbermann’s MSNBC Math, this is “less than 24 hours.”

Of course, he’s too busy hyperventilating and manufacturing outrage to refute any of the facts in my column about Murtha’s sordid career.

Not a single one.

Only fraudulent made-for-TV “progressives” would come to the defense of pork-addicted wheeler dealer Murtha.

They don’t know Jack — and they don’t believe in jack, either.

Sufficient time has passed since John Murtha’s death to reckon with his true record. No tears for the wreckage, poison, and damage to the public trust he left behind.

Latest news: There is a movement to install Murtha’s wife in the seat. Given the late congressman’s share-the-pork-with-friends-and-family proclivities, this is a very bad idea for those who want integrity in government in Pennsylvania.

****

John Murtha: Requiem for a corruptocrat
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010

We are not supposed to speak ill of the dead. But those whom the deceased viciously smeared and humiliated deserve to be defended. Entrenched Democrat Rep. John Murtha passed away on February 8 after a botched gall bladder surgery. He has been hailed as a “military advocate” (Associated Press) and “one of the greatest patriots ever to serve in Congress” (former Democratic congressman Harold Ford). These obsequious obituaries leave out inconvenient truths:

John “Jack” Murtha was an unrepentant smear merchant and corruptocrat to the bitter end.

In May 2006, during an MSNBC cable TV show appearance that Marines and their families will never forget or forgive, Murtha accused U.S. troops of wantonly killing some two dozen civilians, including children, in the terrorist stronghold of Haditha, Iraq. Bellowed Murtha: “Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Murtha publicly indicted the Marines before military investigations had been completed. His remarks opened the military-bashing floodgates around the world.

In the wake of Murtha’s reckless blabbing, MSNBC executioner Keith Olbermann accused the Haditha Marines of “willful targeted brutality.” The Nation magazine claimed that “members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment perpetrated a massacre.” The New York Times dubbed Haditha the “defining atrocity” of the Iraq war. International papers piled on with Vietnam-era “My Lai” allusions. Murtha cold-bloodedly sat back and enjoyed the ride while the Marines were left twisting in the wind.

By 2008, seven of the Marines charged in the incident had been exonerated or had charged dropped against them. Lt. Andrew Grayson was acquitted. Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, Capt. Lucas McConnell, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharatt, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, and Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani all had their cases dismissed. Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the last of the Marines facing charges, awaits a long, dragged-out trial this year.

Murtha, the so-called “military advocate” went to his deathbed refusing to apologize or retract the attacks on the Haditha Marines (several of whom unsuccessfully sued him for libel to restore their honor). Decent people would call this intransigent treachery. Murtha’s friends apparently consider it great patriotism.

The ego-bloated, big-mouthed lawmaker treated his own constituents with trademark contempt. During his last congressional campaign, he mocked voters in his district as bigots. “There’s no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Responding to mounting criticism on both sides of the aisle about his log-rolling orgies on the Hill, he sniffed: “If I’m corrupt, it’s because I take care of my district.”

First, foremost, and forever, Jack Murtha took care of Jack Murtha. The glowing encomiums from his liberal colleagues have glossed over the 19-term Democrat’s defining moment of political self-service. In 1980, Murtha was an unindicted co-conspirator in a massive bribery probe — in which undercover FBI agents videotaped Murtha entertaining a $50,000 bribe from agents posing as emissaries for Arab sheiks trying to enter our country illegally. From transcripts of those conversations published by the late newspaper columnist Jack Anderson, Murtha’s true colors shined:

“I want to deal with you guys awhile before I make any transactions at all, period. . . . After we’ve done some business, well, then I might change my mind. . . . ”

. . .“I’m going to tell you this. If anybody can do it — I’m not B.S.-ing you fellows — I can get it done my way.” he boasted. “There’s no question about it.” . . .

Murtha worried not about his integrity or how his constituents might be harmed, but about getting ratted out:

“All at once,” he said, “some dumb [expletive deleted] would go start talking eight years from now about this whole thing and say [expletive deleted], this happened. Then in order to get immunity so he doesn’t go to jail, he starts talking and fingering people. So the [S.O.B.] falls apart.”…

“You give us the banks where you want the money deposited,” offered one of the bagmen.

“Well, you tell me.”

By the time of his death, Murtha had been caught intervening on behalf of a law-breaking Pennsylvania company convicted of selling military equipment parts illegally overseas; steered unprecedented billions in federal earmarks to friend, family, and donors; earned multiple “most corrupt in Congress” designations from both the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the right-leaning Judicial Watch; and remained intimately tied to PMA Group, a former lobbying firm under federal investigation, and Kuchera Industries, a defense contractor also under federal investigation.

From his character assassination of innocents to his insatiable appetite for pork and power, Jack Murtha embodied everything that is wrong with Washington. If only the culture of corruption he serviced could be buried six feet under with him.

***

A cut-and-run flashback:

John Murtha’s big, fat mouth is still wreaking havoc on the lives of the Haditha Marines he defamed. But the Marines keep winning in court. Yesterday’s good news from the Thomas More Law Center, which has vigorously defended the accused Marines:

A government official has informed the Thomas More Law Center that the government will not seek to appeal the recent unanimous decision by the Navy Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (NMCCA) in favor of LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC.

The decision makes permanent the ruling by the trial court judge, Colonel Steven A. Folsom, USMC, dismissing the charges against LtCol Chessani, without prejudice, due to Unlawful Command Influence. The government could have sought an appeal to the civilian Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces (CAAF), and then to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gary Gross and Jim Hoft have full coverage — coverage you won’t find in the MSM outlets that trumpeted Murtha’s smears three years ago.

Unfortunately, it’s not over for Chessani just yet:

The Marine Corps may be closer to giving up its troubled prosecution of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking officer accused of wrongdoing after 24 Iraqi civilians were slain in the city of Haditha in 2005.

Chessani’s attorneys said Tuesday that they’ve been told the service won’t seek a third appeal of a ruling dismissing two counts of dereliction of duty against Chessani, who is accused of not ordering a full-scale investigation into the killings.

A Marine Corps spokesman, however, said a final decision on possible further appeal hasn’t been made. But the attorney for the appeal, Navy Lt. Timothy Delgado in Washington, confirmed a recommendation to drop the matter has been issued.

If that recommendation is followed, a final decision on whether the case gets dropped rests with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway.

And if that happens, Chessani would become the seventh of eight Camp Pendleton Marines charged with crimes at Haditha to be fully exonerated.

“Our whole center is just waiting to see what the government now decides to do,” said Chessani attorney Brian Rooney of the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. “We are very hopeful that the decision is to end the case so Col. Chessani can get on with his life.”

A Justice Department attorney said U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., should be immune from a defamation lawsuit filed by a former Marine from western Pennsylvania.

Essentially, Murtha’s attorney said the lawsuit filed in September by Justin Sharratt, of Canonsburg, should be dismissed for the same reasons that a federal appeals court struck down a similar suit by Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, of Meriden, Conn., last week.

The court ruled that Murtha couldn’t be sued because he was acting within the scope of his employment when he accused Wuterich’s squad of killing innocent civilians “in cold blood” in Haditha, Iraq in 2005.

Ah to be a member of Congress, where the “scope of your employment” is ruining the scope of somebody else’s employment in a consequence-free environment.

I’d urge all of you to use this product, but you can’t because it’s only available to select members of government:

I had prayed before the election that I wouldn’t have to pay one more iota of attention to the pork-filled, cut-and-run smear merchant John Murtha. Our prayers, alas, were not answered. Now, this corruptocrat is trying to hide from justice in the Haditha slander lawsuits:

A Marine who sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha for defamation urged a federal appeals court Tuesday to order the Johnstown Democrat to testify under oath in the case.

An attorney for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich told the court that he needs Murtha’s deposition to determine how often the congressman made the claim that Marines in Iraq engaged in “cold-blooded murder and war crimes” in the slayings of civilians in Haditha.

A government attorney representing Murtha told the judges that the lawmaker has immunity from the lawsuit because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the comments to reporters.

Arguments about whether Murtha must testify was argued before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

…Assistant U.S Attorney Darrell Valdez, who represents Murtha, argued that a member of Congress is “absolutely immune” from a defamation suit because there’s no circumstance in which speaking to the media is not within the scope of a lawmaker’s employment.

Valdez said it would be hard to find an issue more of public concern than the Iraq war.

But Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson seemed skeptical about Valdez’s argument.

“Are you saying a congressman can say anything that he wants about the Iraq war?” Henderson asked Valdez. She questioned if intent and motive should also be considered.

As always, find the latest at Defend Our Marines.

One of the Marines cleared in the killings of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha plans to sue his congressman today for statements he says defamed him and other members of his squad.

Former Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 24, of Canonsburg, will file a civil lawsuit against U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Johnstown, who was widely quoted two years ago saying that eight Marines carried out a cold-blooded killing of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town on Nov. 19, 2005.

Charges were later dropped against all but one of the Marines, with a military prosecutor calling allegations against Mr. Sharratt “incredible.”

Noah Geary, a Washington County lawyer representing Mr. Sharratt, said his client will file suit today in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh accusing Mr. Murtha of violating his constitutional rights as well as slander for statements about the Haditha incident. A 1:30 p.m. news conference has been planned to announce the suit.

“He just held innumerable press conferences, just repeatedly kept saying this was cold-blooded murder,” Mr. Geary said of the congressman.

While Mr. Sharratt killed three insurgents, Mr. Geary said, he followed the rules of engagement for combat.

The Haditha incident remains a political flash point in the Iraq War, with critics saying Mr. Murtha, a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam, defamed American troops.

Mr. Murtha could not be reached last night and a spokesman did not respond to a message requesting comment.

Murtha won’t talk. But his upstart GOP opponent will:

Republican candidate in the 12th PA Congressional district Bill Russell commented today on the lawsuit filed against incumbent Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) by a Marine from the district. The suit was filed by LCpl. Justin Sharratt of Canonsburg, PA, in Pittsburgh Federal Court and seeks relief for the stripping of Mr. Sharratt’s Constitutional rights, specifically his right to the presumption of innocence and due process, as well as relief for slander.

The lawsuit was prompted by Murtha’s widely reported comments of Marines at Haditha, Iraq “killing innocent civilians in cold blood.”

“As a career military officer and a 9-11 Pentagon survivor, I have a personal interest in seeing the record and reputations of these courageous Marines cleared,” said Russell. “It is contemptible that any member of Congress abuse the power of his office to advance a political agenda by unjustly attacking our brave men and women in uniform. Lance Corporal Sharratt was declared innocent by a properly convened military court, and he has every right to seek justice for the denial of his Constitutional rights to due process and the presumption of innocence, and for the damage done to his reputation. I sincerely hope that Congressman Murtha will use this opportunity to admit his mistake and take responsibility for the harm his false accusations have done to Justin Sharratt and his family. Justin’s right to justice goes beyond politics. I call upon Congressman Murtha to deal honorably with the Sharratt’s, and not attempt to hide behind election-year rhetoric and the very office whose power he abused to deny them this right”.

Boot Murtha.

Defend our heroes.

Justice for former US Marine Jose Luis Nazario.

More at Defend Our Marines and Blackfive.

Har: Commenter magicarb’s answer…

“Right after Murtha does. (And probably using the same speech.)”

Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat known for delivering federal money to defense contractors in his district, is now going to bat for a constituent’s company that was convicted last year of illegally exporting components of military equipment.

Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, wrote State Department officials in late June urging them to meet with the president of Electro-Glass Products, a 50-employee company that was convicted in April 2007 of illegally exporting components of night-vision goggles to a company in India. The Mammoth, Pa., firm has been sanctioned by the State Department, and Murtha argues that the action threatens to put the firm out of business.

“Electro-Glass is a highly respected company known for its honesty,” Murtha wrote. He said the company, which manufactures small glass rings called “preforms,” would not have made the shipments “if they truly believed the shipments were in violation of the law.” He added: “It will be genuinely unfortunate if they are forced to close their doors.”

But Mary Beth Buchanan, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, called the company’s violation “a serious offense.” The company had no license to export the items, and the government requires one to ensure “that products for military use aren’t being sold to countries that might have an improper and criminal use for the product,” Buchanan said.

The administrative penalty is a “significant remedy,” she said, “because companies that violate federal law are the type of company that the government does not want to continue in that particular business.” Electro-Glass was convicted April 19, 2007, in Pittsburgh of a felony violation of the Arms Export Control Act for its 2004 export of 23,000 rings to B.E. Delft, a manufacturer of night-vision goggles in India.

The court fined the company $20,000. The State Department automatically put the company on its list of debarred companies, prohibiting it from participating in the export of defense goods and services for three years.

Buchanan said her office pushed for conviction because Electro-Glass had been counseled before, in 1994, that it needed certification to make future shipments.

“The history of this company is very telling,” she said. ” In 2004 . . . they were charged with a criminal offense because they knowingly, willfully violated the federal statute.”

In his June 30 letter to David C. Trimble, director of the Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance, Murtha wrote that the company, which relies on exports for about 25 percent of its business, deserved another chance.

You know who doesn’t deserve another chance? John Murtha.

Join the Russell Brigade here. And spread the word.

Russell revved up the race this past week after completing his military service and is now out and about on the campaign trail– on his Harley!

Internet activism is buoying the Boot Murtha movement. This is heartening news for the Right and this is a race for conservatives to get behind across the country. Fred Thompson already has:

Republican congressional candidate Bill Russell’s campaign is reporting it raised $400,000 in July alone as it continues its unexpected fundraising success in the 12th Congressional District.

The campaign has now raised $1.3 million in total, in large part from small, individual contributions, according to Campaign Manager Peg Luksik. She said three-fourths of Russell’s money comes from donations totalling less than $50.

The totals have stunned even Russell.

“The big thing has been watching the explosion of money coming into the campaign,” he said.

He also reported the campaign has raised $100,000 through its new Web site, which launched about two weeks ago.

Luksik said the money has come from all over the country as Russell’s race begins to receive more attention from the national media. The campaign this week also received a $2,000 contribution from former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson, she said.

“This really has turned into a national race,” she said.

Indeed.

Turn it up and turn out to help:

Bill Russell knows how to make an entrance.

Now can he do the seemingly impossible?

Just past midnight Friday, the Republican congressional candidate literally roared into his first campaign event in three months, driving his motorcycle into the center of Uniontown with the help of the military veterans biker group “Rolling Thunder.”

After shaking hands with many of the 40 supporters gathered to greet him, Russell wasted little time taking aim at his opponent, U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown). In a prepared 15-minute speech, the candidate said Murtha’s 30-year tenure in Washington had warped his values and put him “out of touch” with the 12th Congressional District.

“Americans throughout this district, and indeed throughout this nation, have joined me in saying that we want our country back from career Washington politicians who have lost touch with people back home,” Russell said. “Liberty was born in Pennsylvania. Let us join together and give it a rebirth, today.”

Join the Russell Brigade if you haven’t already.

***

The man who could topple John Murtha
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2008

A jaw-dropping political miracle may be on the horizon. No, I’m not talking about the second coming of the Obamessiah. I’m talking about the long-deserved comeuppance of troop-smearing, pork-feasting, scandal-tainted Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania.

The 18-term congressman’s challenger, staunch conservative Republican newcomer William Russell, raised nearly $670,000 in the second fundraising quarter. Earmark king Murtha scraped together a measly $119,000. Russell’s underdog campaign bested Murtha without the perks of incumbency, national name recognition, big PAC donations or mainstream media support.

Even more amazing: The 45-year-old Russell, a Desert Storm veteran, former Army lieutenant colonel and Army reservist who survived the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, was not even publicly campaigning during the quarter. He is on active duty with the Army until after Aug. 1 and is barred from actively campaigning until then.

If all that didn’t make this enough of an inspiring David and Goliath story: In February, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that Russell had failed to collect enough signatures to make the primary ballot. But Russell refused to give up on his goal of permanently redeploying Murtha from his entrenched seat of power in Washington. The GOP neophyte persevered on a shoestring budget and won more than 4,000 write-in votes in the spring to earn a spot on the general election ballot. According to Russell’s campaign manager and veteran GOP activist Peg Luksik, the bulk of contributions from about 16,000 donors in the second quarter were less than $50.

Russell’s clear on where he stands. No doubt Barack Obama would label him bitter and clingy. “I am a Conservative,” he says in his defining campaign statement. “I believe in the sovereignty and security of this one nation, under God. I believe the primary role of government is to provide for the common defense and a legal framework to protect families and individual liberty. … I believe that no one owes me anything just because I live and breathe.”

The excitement and buzz around Russell stand in stark contrast to grass-roots disgust on the right with Beltway Republicans who continue to push the party to the left in a brain-dead attempt to “rebrand” the GOP. He has united pro-troops families, social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, Reagan Democrats and Independents fed up with Murtha’s culture of corruption dating back to his Abscam days in the 1980s. Murtha was not indicted in the infamous bribery probe, but he was videotaped entertaining a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents posing as emissaries for Arab sheiks trying to enter our country illegally.

“The incredible story about Bill’s campaign is that the $15 and $25 contributions are coming in from all over Pennsylvania and every corner of the country,” Luksik noted on the Russell Brigade website (www.russellbrigade.com). “This is K-Street versus Main Street. These are patriotic families expressing support for soldiers, sailors and Marines, and people saying they’ve had enough of the old ‘pay-to-play’ culture in the Capitol. That’s what’s fueling this campaign.”

Russell decided to enter politics after hearing Murtha’s slanderous 2006 accusations that Marines in Haditha “overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” As I reported in June, seven Marines have been cleared or won case dismissals in the Iraq war incident Murtha recklessly adjudicated in the court of public opinion — with willing mainstream journalists at The New York Times, MSNBC, and in the world press swinging their nooses.

Perhaps that complicity explains the great media wall of silence around Russell’s upstart campaign. Republican Bill Russell offers ethical, freedom-enhancing, pro-responsibility, anti-retreat, unapologetically conservative change they don’t want to believe in.