Jul 13 2006
Murtha’s Bribery Scandal
The American Spectator has dug up some transcripts of Murtha during the old Abscam bribery scandals where he is clearly willing to dance with the people after some ‘time’ to get to know them and feel comfortable exposing himself.
[Murtha] “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….”
…
“You give us the banks where you want the money deposited,” offered one of the bagmen.“All right,” agreed Murtha. “How much money we talking about?”
“Well, you tell me.”
“Well, let me find out what is a reasonable figure that will get their attention,” said Murtha, “because there are a couple of banks that have really done me some favors in the past, and I’d like to put some money in….[“]
As the article says:”pretty damning stuff”. And while it may not hold up in a court of law it sure does hold up to common sense. Jefferson and Murtha show Democrats have as many bad apples as the Republicans with Cunningham and Abramoff.
I dug up the article from another source other than Lexis. I also found a few more that I will try to post as well.
Link to Full Article
Jack Anderson Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, Wednesday, August 6, 1980
Excerpts
“I want to deal with you guys awhile before I make any transactions at all, period,” he told them, “After we’ve done some business, well, then I might change my mind.”
Still, he wanted them to understand that he was the best man in Congress the sheik could acquire “I’m going to tell you this, if anybody can do it, I’m not BS-ing you fellows, I can get it done my way,” he boasted “There’s no question about it.”
“All at once,” he said, “some dumb (expletive deleted) would go start talking eight years from now about the 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 (SOB) falls apart.”
“You give us the banks where you want the money deposited,” offered one of the bagmen.
“All right,” agreed Murtha “How much money are we talking about?”
“Well, you tell me”
“Well, let me find out what is a reasonable figure that will get their attention,” said Murtha, “because there are a couple of banks that have really done me some favors in the past, and I’d like to put some money in.”
Later Murtha asked again how much the sheik might be willing to deposit in a bank the congressman would designate. “Oh,” said Amoroso, “I think a million dollars.” The figure aroused new enthusiasm in Murtha.
Murtha emphasized again how influential he was “I’ll be quite honest with you,” he confided “I’ve got as much influence in that (expletive deleted) Congress with the leadership and the White House as anybody in Congress. I went to the ball game with the President. There were three of us me, Tip (Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill) and that was it. So I’ve got as much influence, and I know as much about the (expletive deleted) workings–you’re not going to have any trouble.”
SBD