FBI saw the dark side of John Murtha

[franksolich]

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_47/FBI-Saw-Dark-Side-of-Rep-John-Murtha-209736-1.html?pos=hftxt

Oh my.

FBI Saw Dark Side of Rep. John Murtha
Agency Suspected Lawmaker in Scheme Funneling Funds to Benefit Friends, Ex-Staffers

Last week’s release of FBI documents finally put in writing what nobody had ever said on the record: The FBI suspected that former Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and lobbyists close to him were running a scheme to funnel earmarks to sham companies and nonprofits to benefit the lawmaker’s friends and former staffers.

Bits and pieces of this story were kicked around for years before Murtha died in February 2010. The Los Angeles Times, Roll Call, the Washington Post and others had documented the odd appearance of earmarks for tiny defense contractors that just happened to open an office in western Pennsylvania and just happened to hire one of the lobbying firms close to Murtha and just happened to begin making campaign donations to Murtha and other Members of Congress close to him.

Reporters could do little but assemble the coincidences and couldn’t prove there was anything wrong with the bigger picture.

But it turns out the FBI was reading the stories and was very interested — interested enough that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation into Murtha and some of the lobbyists in his orbit, a fact that never leaked while Murtha was alive.

In part, the probe never leaked precisely because he was alive......

You know, it's a bitch when one knows something foul's going on, but can't put one's finger on it, because it's an intuitive knowledge rather than a seeing-the-actual-thing knowledge.

[docstew]

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_47/FBI-Saw-Dark-Side-of-Rep-John-Murtha-209736-1.html?pos=hftxt

Oh my.

You know, it's a bitch when one knows something foul's going on, but can't put one's finger on it, because it's an intuitive knowledge rather than a seeing-the-actual-thing knowledge.

Actually, coach, in this case, you could see the actual thing, but you couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt

[JohnnyReb]

OK, the old bastard is dead...but are some of his fellow crooks still alive and subject to prosecution. You would think Obama and Holder would be all over this.

[thundley4]

OK, the old bastard is dead...but are some of his fellow crooks still alive and subject to prosecution. You would think Obama and Holder would be all over this.

They are.  Covering it up in some way, most likely.

[DefiantSix]

They are.  Covering it up in some way, most likely.

Like cats with the runs. Scraping sand over it for all they're worth.

[Erasmus]

OK, the old bastard is dead...but are some of his fellow crooks still alive and subject to prosecution. You would think Obama and Holder would be all over this.

Obama and Holder ARE all over this.  They're following in Murtha's footsteps with companies like Solyndra.

[CG6468]

John Mutha (no "r") had no side but the dark one.