US Marine files suit against Congressman
The scope of this thread has crept to silly. From lambasting Bush over the war to funding issues the water has muddies far too much. It comes down to the point that Murtha have kept his mouth closed until the Marines were found guilty or acquitted. In a court of law, not a court of public opinion.
I don't know if they are guilty or not. Lets wait to pass judgment. I suspect many here also determine probable cause of accidents based on press reports alone.
I don't know if they are guilty or not. Lets wait to pass judgment. I suspect many here also determine probable cause of accidents based on press reports alone.
Thread Starter
Murtha made the comments one week prior to being briefed
Seems I was right.....John Murtha is clairvoyant. One week after he made his accusations about the young Marine and his squad....he was briefed by the Commandant of the US Marine Corps.
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 - The head of the U.S. Marine Corps briefed Rep. John Murtha on the Haditha case after the vocal war critic publicly said Marines had killed innocent civilians in that Iraqi city, the Corps said on Thursday.
A group of Marines, while suspected in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians, has not been charged, and official results from the military's investigation remain outstanding.
Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is being sued by one of the accused Marines for libel. He had told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Gen. Michael Hagee had given him the information on which he based his charge that Marines killed innocent civilians.
But a spokesman for the Marine Corps said Hagee briefed Murtha on May 24 about Haditha. Murtha had made comments on the case as early as May 17.
On May 17, for example, he said at a news conference, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
A spokeswoman for Murtha was not immediately available.
One accused in the Haditha case, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, sued Murtha on Wednesday for libel, saying the congressman had made false, misleading and defamatory statements.
Lawyers for Wuterich, 26, said they hoped the lawsuit would give them a chance to question Murtha about the source of his information at the Pentagon.
Lawyers for other Marines suspected in the case say they have been unable to cull any information from the Defense Department.
The military initiated two investigations into the Haditha case -- a murder inquiry and a probe into the Marines' procedures following the killings.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said the results of the investigations should be delivered to Congress in September.
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 - The head of the U.S. Marine Corps briefed Rep. John Murtha on the Haditha case after the vocal war critic publicly said Marines had killed innocent civilians in that Iraqi city, the Corps said on Thursday.
A group of Marines, while suspected in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians, has not been charged, and official results from the military's investigation remain outstanding.
Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is being sued by one of the accused Marines for libel. He had told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Gen. Michael Hagee had given him the information on which he based his charge that Marines killed innocent civilians.
But a spokesman for the Marine Corps said Hagee briefed Murtha on May 24 about Haditha. Murtha had made comments on the case as early as May 17.
On May 17, for example, he said at a news conference, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
A spokeswoman for Murtha was not immediately available.
One accused in the Haditha case, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, sued Murtha on Wednesday for libel, saying the congressman had made false, misleading and defamatory statements.
Lawyers for Wuterich, 26, said they hoped the lawsuit would give them a chance to question Murtha about the source of his information at the Pentagon.
Lawyers for other Marines suspected in the case say they have been unable to cull any information from the Defense Department.
The military initiated two investigations into the Haditha case -- a murder inquiry and a probe into the Marines' procedures following the killings.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said the results of the investigations should be delivered to Congress in September.
