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April 16, 2008
Rep. Murtha, 75, calls McCain, 71, 'too
old'
 "I've
served with seven presidents," Murtha told a union audience. "When
they come in, they all make mistakes. They all get older."
"This one guy running is about as old as me," he said, drawing
laughter and applause. "Let me tell you something, it's no old man's
job."
Feb. 26, 2008
TheHill.com
Watchdogs plan to protest Murtha's fundraiser today
Three watchdog groups are planning to protest Rep. John Murtha’s
(D-Pa.) fundraising event Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in
Arlington, Va.
Every year, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Defense
panel holds two fundraisers for his campaign: a dinner in February and
a breakfast in the fall. Both events garner a wide range of
participation from defense industry officials.
This year, however, Americans for Prosperity, Citizens Against
Government Waste (CAGW) and the National Taxpayers Union are holding a
rally in front of the hotel where the fundraiser is being held to
“display their displeasure with Rep. Murtha ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz,’ ”
according to a press release.
The groups called Wednesday’s event “a swanky fundraising dinner with
pork-barrel-seeking defense lobbyists.”
Feb. 21, 2008
NewsMax.com
Murtha named
Top Porker for 2007
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) was named
"Porker of the Year" for 2007 on Wednesday by the taxpayer
watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).
The organization, which promotes
fiscal responsibility and federal earmarks reform, conducted an
online poll of 3,400 people about members of Congress. The often
controversial Murtha, chairman of the House subcommittee on
defense appropriations, won with 63.4 percent of the votes cast,
according to CAGW.
In FY 2008, which began last October,
Murtha secured 72 earmarks worth $149.2 million for his district,
according to CAGW.
"For flouting the rules and playing
games with reform, while filing spending bills with pork and
arrogantly threatening anyone that challenges his authority, Rep.
Jack Murtha is the 2007 Porker of the Year," the CAGW announcement
said.
A spokesman from Murtha's press office
could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
No other lawmaker came close to
Murtha's vote tally.
Feb. 18, 2008
PBS Frontline
PBS 'Frontline' airs in-depth Haditha program
PBS's "Frontline" will air an in-depth program tonight at 9 about
the 2005 killings in Haditha, Iraq.
The piece, titled "Rules of Engagement," hopes to provide an
evenhanded look at the incident, which involved a squad of Marines
under Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, a former Meriden resident.
The Marines allegedly killed 24 Iraqis, some of whom may have been
insurgents, during the Nov. 19, 2005 incident. Wuterich has said
he and his men followed standard combat procedure.
The idea that the Haditha killings were a straightforward
massacre of innocents is incorrect, according to Arun Rath,
the producer, writer and director of "Rules of Engagement."
The initial media coverage - following an announcement by U.S.
Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania that the Marines had killed
"innocent civilians in cold blood" - focused on the evidence
against the men, Rath told the Record-Journal Monday.
As evidence in the Marines' favor came out, however, there was
little additional coverage, he added. Wuterich is suing Murtha
for defamation.
The Frontline piece was originally going to focus on civilian
casualties in Iraq and only use Haditha as an example, Rath
said, but his investigation led him to believe there was more
to the killings than met the eye.
"The biggest dramatic detail compared to the initial version
was just how intense a day of fighting it was in Haditha,"
Rath said. "We do have a number of witnesses saying that (the
Marines) were coming under fire, including Iraqi witnesses. It
appears that this was an all-out insurgent push to retake the
town."
The program includes footage from an aerial drone that circled
the area during the incident and an interview with an
intelligence officer who explains the fight going on in
Haditha at the same time.
Feb. 16, 2008
CQ Politics
Clinton and Obama advised to court Murtha personally...
Some of the loyalists who orbit John P. Murtha , D-Pa., in the
back corner of the Democratic side of the House chamber are
holding off until their political godfather taps Obama or
Clinton...
... Murtha said he and fellow Pennsylvanians
Mike Doyle and Robert Brady will vote as a bloc.
“That’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
Brady backed him up and suggested there could
be more in that camp.
“Mr. Murtha speaks for a lot of us, including
myself,” he said. “If that’s what Mr. Murtha says, then I’m with
him.”
Kaptur, who serves on the Defense
Appropriations subcommittee with Murtha, said Clinton and Obama
should court Murtha personally.
“If I were the candidates, I would be asking
him,” she said. “I wouldn’t send emissaries.”
Feb. 15, 2008
TPM Muckraker
The year in earmarks
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) has
received campaign contributions from
each (sub. req.) of the 26 groups for whom he requested
earmarks in the recent defense spending bill. An analysis by
Roll Call shows that since the beginning of 2005,
PACs and employees of those groups have given Murtha $413,250,
of which $100,750 came "in the two weeks leading up to March
16, the original deadline for lawmakers to file their earmark
requests." (Roll Call)
Feb. 15, 2008
Pittsburgh's WTAE, Channel 4 News
Critics believe Murtha-backed defense center a waste
A Team 4 investigation found millions of your
tax dollars going to a local government agency that many in
Washington, including President George W. Bush, believe is a waste.
But a powerful local congressman has kept the money flowing.
In July 1977, a flood devastated Johnstown, killing 80 people and
destroying the downtown. Many businesses never recovered,
including the Penn Traffic department store.
But in the early 1990s, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown,
persuaded Washington to move a new federal agency, the National
Drug Intelligence Center, into the old department store.
Now, more than 300 people work there, and it's one of Johnstown's
biggest employers.
"Our payroll represents several million dollars a year to the
Johnstown economy," said Michael Walther of the NDIC.
That's good for Johnstown, but critics said the NDIC has not been
good for taxpayers...
Feb. 14, 2008
New York Times
Lawmakers put out new call for ear marks
Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, obtained
$176 million in earmarks — more than any other House member except
Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, who is now a senator.
... More than 80 percent of Mr. Murtha’s earmarks were in the 2008
Defense Department spending bill. He is chairman of the
appropriations subcommittee where the bill originated.
Matt Mazonkey, a spokesman for Mr. Murtha, said he believed that
the $176 million figure was “too high,” but he refused to provide
his own tally.
Mr. Murtha’s re-election campaign is holding a fund-raiser for him
on Feb. 27 at a hotel in Arlington, Va., near the Pentagon. About
300 people, including many military industry lobbyists, plan to
attend. The invitation stipulates a contribution of $1,500 for an
individual and $5,000 for a political action committee.
Lobbyists often say they feel obliged to make campaign
contributions as a way of gaining access to lawmakers to present
their arguments on earmarks and other issues. Asked if there was
any connection between giving money to Mr. Murtha and receiving
earmarks, Mr. Mazonkey said: “Absolutely not. None at all.”
Jan. 14, 2008
New York Times
Pork King Murtha keeps his crown
The new earmark disclosure rules put into effect by Congress
confirm the pre-eminence of Representative John Murtha at
procuring eye-popping chunks of pork for contractors he helped
put in business in Johnstown, Pa.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, a power player on defense
appropriations, exudes pride, not embarrassment, for
delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in largesse to
district beneficiaries. They, in turn, requite with hundreds
of thousands of dollars in campaign donations.
Mr. Murtha led all House members this year, securing $162
million in district favors, according to the watchdog group
Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Nov. 30 ,2007
Politico.com
Murtha's comments on 'surge' a problem for Democrats
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of the leading anti-war voices
in the House Democratic Caucus, is back from a trip to Iraq
and he now says the "surge is working." This could be a huge
problem for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other
Democratic leaders, who are blocking approval of the full $200
billion being sought by President Bush for combat operations
in Iraq in 2008.
Murtha's latest comments are also a stark reversal from what
he said earlier in the year. The Pennsylvania Democrat, who
chairs the powerful Defense subcommittee on the House
Appropriations Committee, has previously stated that the
surge "is not working" and the United States faced a military
disaster in Iraq.
Murtha told CNN on July 12, following a Bush speech, that the
president's views on the success of surge in Iraq were
"delusional."
Nov. 30 ,2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Murtha says surge is working in Iraq
"I think the 'surge' is working," the Democrat said in a
videoconference from his Johnstown office, describing the
president's decision to commit more than 20,000 additional
combat troops this year. But the Iraqis "have got to take care
of themselves."
Nov. 2, 2007
Washington Post
Federal earmarks fill coffers of PA nonprofit
John Murtha and Concurrent Technologies
EXCERPTS:
Concurrent Technologies began two decades ago doing
metalworking research in Pennsylvania's struggling rust belt. In the
years since, the Johnstown, Pa., company has become a federal
contracting chameleon.
It is an intelligence adviser, an environmental
consultant and a software engineering specialist. It has trained
mine-detecting dogs and managed religion-based initiatives. It
oversees construction projects, organizes conferences and studies ways
to use hydrogen for fuel in Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
Missile-defense research is part of its portfolio. So is the
development of special armor for combat vehicles in Iraq and "solid
waste technology" in Florida.
And it is a nonprofit charity.
Behind the rise of Concurrent is Rep. John P.
Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's
defense subcommittee, who helped arrange funding to launch the
organization in 1988. Murtha has since arranged millions of dollars
more in directed congressional appropriations called earmarks. Now
Concurrent has nearly $250 million in annual revenue and 1,500
employees.
Concurrent is a prime example of how to marry
entrepreneurial savvy, influence on Capitol Hill and arcane
procurement rules to create budget magnets in congressional districts.
Unlike many other big contractors, Concurrent pays no income tax on
most of its revenue. Unlike nonprofit, federally funded
research-and-development corporations, it is not chartered by the
federal government.
...
Concurrent's lobbying firm, PMA Group, is run by a former defense
subcommittee aide, Paul Magliocchetti. Since 1997, Concurrent has paid
Magliocchetti and PMA about $3 million for lobbying and consulting
services, according to tax documents filed with the government.
...
In the past four years, Congress has directed at least $226 million to
Concurrent in earmarks, according to records compiled by Taxpayers for
Common Sense. This year, Murtha and four other lawmakers proposed $18
million more in earmarks for the firm.
Oct.
30, 2007
pg. 1, Wall Street Journal
Murtha Inc. - How Lawmaker
Rebuilt Hometown on Earmarks
EXCERPTS:
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- If John Murtha were a
businessman, he'd be the biggest employer in this town.
The powerful U.S. congressman has used his clout on
Capitol Hill to create thousands of jobs and steer billions of dollars
in federal spending to help his hometown in western Pennsylvania
recover from devastating floods and the flight of its steelmakers.
More is on the way. In the massive 2008 military-spending bill now
before Congress -- which could go to a House-Senate conference as soon
as Thursday -- Mr. Murtha has steered more taxpayer funds to his
congressional district than any other member. The Democratic
lawmaker is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Defense, which will oversee more than $459 billion in military
spending this year.
A review by The Wall Street Journal of dozens of such contracts funded
by Mr. Murtha's committee shows that many weren't sought by the
military or federal agencies they were intended to benefit. Some were
inefficient or mismanaged, according to interviews, public records and
previously unpublished Pentagon audits. One Murtha-backed firm,
ProLogic Inc., is under federal investigation for allegedly
diverting public funds to develop commercial software, people close to
the case say. The company denies wrongdoing and is in line to get
millions of dollars more in the pending defense bill.
...
Mr. Murtha has steered at least $600 million in earmarks to his
district in the past four years, according to Taxpayers for Common
Sense, a nonpartisan Washington group. The nonprofit group estimates
he's sent $2 billion or more to the district since joining the
appropriations committee.
...
There's no evidence that Mr. Murtha personally profits from the
hometown spending he rams through Congress. He ranked No. 333 in net
worth among the 435 members of the House in a 2005 analysis by the
nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. But his campaign coffers
have risen since he became chairman of the defense-spending panel. In
the first nine months of this year, Mr. Murtha's campaign committees
have reported contributions of more than $1.05 million.
Oct.
30, 2007
CBS News
John Murtha's Kingdom of Pork
EXCERPTS:
the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee
on Defense, has dubiously funneled billions of taxpayer
dollars to his hard-luck hometown.
...
Defense contractors have found that if they open an office
there and hire the right lobbyist, they can get lucrative,
no-bid contracts.
Oct.
30, 2007
Career Army man to challenge Murtha
EXCERPTS:
After nearly three decades in the military, William T. Russell’s latest mission
has brought him to Johnstown.
The career Army man, just two years short of retirement, has left the service
and moved to the Flood City in order to mount a political campaign against
veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha...
...While Murtha’s encounters with wounded soldiers have
solidified his stance on Iraq, Russell said a similar
encounter left him with the opposite impression: To withdraw
from Iraq, he argues, would render the sacrifices of those
soldiers pointless.
“I think Mr. Murtha is just flat-out wrong,” Russell said.
The Republican also cites, as Irey did, Murtha’s public
accusation that U.S. Marines murdered innocent civilians in
the Iraq town of Haditha in 2005.
The congressman, Russell contends, is “playing right into the
hands of this enemy.”
On his Web site, Russell takes that line of thought a step
further and attempts to raise the stakes for next year’s
election.
“In this war against Islamic radicalism, the political battle
of the 2008 election in the Pennsylvania 12th Congressional
District is a critical turning point,” he said.
Oct.
17, 2007
Murtha tells Pelosi NOT to allow Turkish genocide vote
EXCERPTS:
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 — Support for a House
resolution condemning as genocide the mass killings of Armenians in
1915 continued to weaken today as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who only days
ago vowed to bring the measure to the floor of the House, signaled
that she may be changing her mind.
“Whether it will come up or not, what the action
will be, remains to be seen,” Ms. Pelosi told reporters on Capitol
Hill today. Her uncertainty stood in sharp contrast to her earlier
pledge to bring the measure to the floor if it emerged from the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, which it did a week ago by 27 to 21.
Worried about antagonizing Turkish leaders, House
members from both parties have been withdrawing their support from the
resolution, which had been backed by the Democratic leadership.
The measure’s prospects were weakened further today
when Representative John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who
heads the Appropriations subcommittee on military matters, spoke out
against it.
“What happened nearly 100 years ago was terrible,”
said Mr. Murtha, who has urged the speaker not to bring up the
resolution for a vote. “I don’t know whether it was a massacre or a
genocide, but that is beside the point.
Oct.
17, 2007
Murtha renews call for war surtax
EXCERPTS:
Murtha renewed his call for a surtax to fund the Iraq War, an idea
Pelosi has shot down, and he cautioned against bringing up legislation
to condemn the Armenian genocide, a measure Pelosi supports.
On Wednesday, Pelosi appeared to acquiesce to one of Murtha's demands,
indicating that the vote on the Armenian bill was now in doubt.
Oct.
7,
2007
Al Qaeda
and Haditha bombshell:
What the MSM didn't tell you
by Michelle Malkin
EXCERPTS:
You won’t hear about this from John Murtha, but you’ll read it first
on the Internet. Nathaniel Helms at
Defend our Marines has an exclusive report on the battle in
Haditha that the media ignored...
...Helms’ reporting is a damning indictment of the American media as
propaganda tools and fools.
Read
the whole thing.
Make
sure to fax a copy to John Murtha:
814-539-6229 — District
202-225-5709 — Washington
And,
of course, don’t look for the NYTimes to put this on the front page.
Oct. 6,
2007
Al
Qaeda In Haditha
exclusive article by Nathan Helms
EXCERPTS:
The
report – apparently overlooked by a Washington press corps awash
in leaked Bargewell documents and secret Naval Criminal Investigative
Service reports – shows that Marine Corps intelligence operatives were
advised of the scheme to demonize the Marines by an informant named
Muhannad Hassan Hamadi. The informant was snared by 3/1 Marines on
December 11 2005 and decided to cooperate...
The prosecutors in the case against eight Marines
charged with murder and cover up at Haditha still maintain the
besieged infantrymen acted solely out of malice and poor judgment when
they killed 24 Iraqis there. The prosecution’s investigation was
launched after a story by Time magazine reporter Tim McGirk on March
6, 2006 accused the Marines of cold blooded murder in retaliation for
the death of a brother Marine.
McGirk received his video “evidence” and contacts
from two known Iraqi insurgent operatives already under observation by
Marine Corps counter intelligence teams. One of the Iraqi witnesses
McGirk relied on had just been released from almost six months
captivity for insurgent activities and the other witness was
considered a useful intelligence tool by Marines listening to him talk
on his cell phone. McGirk never interviewed the Marines, who
ironically had prepared a similar intelligence summary in anticipation
of his canceled visit.
Oct. 4,
2007
Marines recommend no murder charge
in Haditha (Wuterich) case
EXCERPTS:
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - An investigating
officer has recommended that no murder charges be brought against U.S. Marine
Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich in connection with a massacre of civilians in
the Iraqi town of Haditha in 2005, defense attorney Mark Zaid said on Thursday.
Wuterich had been earlier accused of being the ringleader of troops who killed
24 Iraqi civilians in the November, 2005 incident. "The recommendation was for
lesser charges, none of which include murder," Zaid told Reuters in a telephone
interview.
Sept. 29,
2007
Federal judge:
Murtha must testify in Haditha Marine's defamation case
EXCERPTS:
A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss a defamation case against
Rep. John P. Murtha and ordered the Pennsylvania Democrat to give a
sworn deposition in the case.
A Marine Corps sergeant is suing the 18-term congressman for alleging
''cold-blooded murder and war crimes'' by unnamed soldiers in
connection with the deaths of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha.
The deaths became prominent in May 2006 when Murtha, who opposes the
Iraq war, said at a Capitol Hill news conference that a Pentagon war
crimes investigation will show Marines killed dozens of innocent Iraqi
civilians in the town in 2005.
...
The Justice Department wanted the case dismissed because Murtha was
acting in his official role as a lawmaker. Assistant U.S. Attorney
John F. Henault said the comments were made as part of the debate over
the war in Iraq.
U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer said the congressman might be
right, but said she won't know for sure unless Murtha explains
himself. She did not set a date for Murtha's testimony but said she
would also require him to turn over documents related to his comments.
''You're writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to
their home districts and say anything they choose about private
persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you
want to do that?'' Collyer said, adding later, ''How far can a
congressman go and still be protected?''
Collyer said she was troubled by the idea the lawmakers are immune
from lawsuits regardless of what they say to advance their political
careers.
August
11, 2007
Bob Novak: "King Corruption" Reigns
EXCERPTS:
Republicans returning to the House floor on Friday morning
Aug. 3 after their walkout the night before were surprised to
find as presiding officer the Democrat they call "King
Corruption": Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, master of
earmarks and backroom deals.
Rep. Ed Pastor, a 64-year-old eight-term Democrat from
Phoenix, Ariz., who is affable and well-liked by Republicans,
had been scheduled to preside. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
fearing parliamentary tricks by Republicans, put her muscleman
Murtha in the chair.
Murtha's performance as non-partisan presiding officer ran
true to form. On a voice vote, Murtha ruled for Democrats when
obviously more Republicans were on the House floor. He
subsequently ordered a roll call vote, though members rising
in support clearly fell short of the 44 required. After that
ruling was challenged, Murtha declared: "The chair's decision
is not subject to question."
August
10, 2007
Hot Air Audio: Rep. Murtha's office hangs up
when asked about
the Haditha Marines
August
3, 2007
Murtha nabs $150M pork
EXCERPTS:
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations
defense panel, has secured the most earmarked dollars in the
2008 military spending bill, followed closely by the panel’s
ranking member Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.).
Even though Young secured 52 earmarks, worth $117.2 million —
and co-sponsored at least $27 million worth of others —
Murtha’s 48 earmarks amount to a total of $150.5 million,
according to a database compiled by the watchdog organization
Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS)...
...Murtha, the defense industry’s darling, has been known
throughout his tenure on the defense panel to shell out a
large number of earmarks. His biggest earmark in the bill is
$23 million for the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC),
a move that sparked a fierce fight with Rep. Todd Tiahrt
(R-Kan.), who earlier this year voted in a private meeting to
strip Murtha’s earmark.
The Bush administration requested $16 million to shut down the
center, which is in Murtha’s district, because it replicated
the work of a similar center...
...Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) got her share of pork
projects — 11 projects valued at $37.3 million...
July 16, 2007
Bob Novak: Sham Earmark Reform
EXCERPTS:
Considering the Interior Appropriations bill June
26, the House kept alive 11 egregious earmarks. Rep. John Murtha,
king of Democratic earmarkers, kept $1.2 million for the Southwestern
Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission in Hollidaysburg, Pa.
(by a 343 to 86 vote), and $150,000 for W.A. Young & Sons Foundry in
Greene County, Pa. (328 to 104)...
...Moving on to Financial Services Appropriations
June 28, the House voted 335 to 87 to continue Murtha's raid on the
Treasury: $231,000 for the Grace Johnstown (Pa.) Area Regional
Industries Incubator.
July 15, 2007
Defense firms like Murtha's district
EXCERPTS:
As chairman of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee, the
17-term Democrat is one of the most powerful politicians in
Washington, and he uses that power to deliver federal money to his
congressional district as well as to his political allies across the
country...
...In
2005, 190 contractors in Mr. Murtha's district received $228 million
in government projects, placing the district in just 236th place among
all 435 congressional districts.
That's
because large defense companies do the bulk of their business
elsewhere. Northrop, for instance, has its corporate government
relations offices in Arlington, Va., in the district of Rep. James
Moran, a Democrat who also sits on the appropriations committee with
Mr. Murtha. Mr. Moran's district ranked No. 1 on
fedspending.org's 2005 list,
garnering close to $17 billion in contracts.
July 13, 2007
Marine's Parents Want Murtha Censured
for Haditha Remarks
EXCERPTS:
The parents of a U.S. Marine accused
of killing three Iraqis execution-style in Haditha in
late 2005 said Thursday they would ask Congress to
censure Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for saying that the
Marines "overreacted" during the incident and killed
civilians "in cold blood."
"It's too late for an apology,"
Darryl Sharratt of Canonsburg, Pa., told Cybercast News
Service after the hearing officer in the case, Lt. Col.
Paul Ware, released an 18-page report recommending that
all charges against Sharratt's son, Lance Cpl. Justin
Sharratt, be dismissed because his actions "were in
accord with the rules of engagement and use of force."
Sharratt said that he, his wife
Theresa and other supporters of their 22-year-old son
were planning to visit Martha's office, and "we're going
to ask for more than an apology."
"We need this man censured by our
Congress," he said, because "he denied my son -- and the
other Marines involved -- their constitutional rights to
a fair trial and a presumption of innocence."
...
Roger Hughes, chairman of the
Presidential Watch Political Action Committee -- the
umbrella organization for the "Boot Murtha" and "Expose
Murtha" campaigns -- told Cybercast News Service that he
-- "unlike Murtha" -- would not comment on the Haditha
investigations.
He did say, however, that "Murtha's
remarks about the guilt of these people having killed
civilians in cold blood is very reminiscent of John
Kerry's Senate testimony" in 1971, when the current
senator from Massachusetts stated he'd heard Vietnam
veterans say they had "randomly shot at civilians" and
"razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis
Khan."
"That hasn't proven to be true,
either," Hughes added.
"Censure is too good for Murtha on
this alone," Hughes said, even without considering such
things in his past as questions regarding his war hero
status and involvement in the Abscam scandal.
July 10, 2007
Investigator: Drop Haditha charges against Sharratt
EXCERPTS:
July 10, 2007... CAMP PENDLETON – An
investigator has recommended that all charges be dismissed
against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, accused of killing three
Iraqis execution-style in Haditha.
In a
written report, Lt. Col. Paul Ware says the evidence shows that Sharratt's
actions on Nov. 19, 2005, “were in accord with the rules of engagement and use
of force.”
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