Liberal-leaning watchdog group blasts Pelosi endorsement of 'unethical' Murtha

RAW STORY
Published: Monday November 13, 2006

A liberal-leaning watchdog group is blasting incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) for her endorsement of Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) as Majority Leader. Murtha has been accused of abusing his position as ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee to benefit lobbying clients of his brother.

In a press release sent to RAW STORY, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) questioned Pelosi's (D-CA) "commitment to eradicating corruption," after her backing of "one of the most unethical members in Congress" over Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md), who would normally be in line for the highly sought position.

In September, CREW compiled a list of lawmakers, that it designated as the "20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress," at its Beyond DeLay website. Murtha was given a "dishonorable mention" by the group for being "involved in a number of pay-to play schemes involving former staffers and his brother, Robert 'Kit' Murtha."

"Eight incumbents in CREW’s report lost their races to ethics issues," notes CREW's press release.

"Future House Speaker Pelosi’s endorsement of Rep. Murtha, one of the most unethical members of Congress, shows that she may have prioritized ethics reform merely to win votes with no real commitment to changing the culture of corruption," CREW's executive director, Melanie Sloan, stated today. "How can Americans believe that the Democrats will return integrity to the House when future Speaker Pelosi has endorsed an ethically-challenged member for a leadership position?"

Sloan concludes, "Rep. Murtha is the wrong choice for this job."

This pdf link contains CREW's full report on Murtha. CREW has also called for a House Ethics Committee probe to determine whether Murtha’s earmarking on behalf of his brother’s clients violates a House rule.