WASHINGTON, April 4, 2008

Meet Congress' "King Of Pork"

Congressman Jack Murtha Has Earmarked Millions For His District, But What's That Taxpayer Money Buying?

  • Play CBS Video Video Earmarks Linked To Campaign $$

    Congressman Jack Murtha has steered billions of dollars in earmarks during his tenure in office. And as Sharyl Attkisson, campaign contributions are what drive this spending of taxpayers' dollars.

  • Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)

    Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)  (AP)

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    See the latest campaign finance tallies from Obama and McCain.

(CBS)  Congressman Jack Murtha is one of the most influential powerbrokers in Washington.

According to an estimate by Taxpayers for Common Sense, he's steered more than $600 million in earmarks to his Pennsylvania district in the past four years and $2 billion since 1992. But what's been good for Murtha and his district is not always good for taxpayers.

Top defense lobbyists recently flocked to a high-priced fundraiser at the Ritz in Virginia, all for Congressman John Murtha, the head of the House committee on military spending. This year alone, Murtha gave out nearly $160 million dollars in earmarks -- grants of money without the normal public review.

“Every private entity that received an earmark from Rep. Murtha gave him a contribution. A campaign contribution,” Ryan Alexander for Taxpayers for Common Sense told CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

Murtha helped set up the non-profit Concurrent Technologies in his hometown of Johnstown, Pa. Among the things they do is help others get federal money. They should know, they get $200 million in federal grants each year.

Murtha alone doled out nearly $12 million in earmarks to Concurrent this year. Concurrent pays big bucks to PMA, a lobby firm started by a former Murtha committee staffer. Both and Concurrent employees give generously to Murtha's campaigns.

More mysterious is Murtha's million-dollar earmark to the "The Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure."

“We don’t even know if it even exists,” says anti-earmark Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ).

Back in July 2007, Flake had questions when he found no record of the Center. Murtha wasn’t there, so a colleague spoke for him.

The response to the question of whether the Center actually exists came from Congressman Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.: “At this time I do not know. But if it does not exist, the money cannot go to it.”

Congressman Murtha wouldn't tell CBS News if the Center exists... or agree to an interview.

His most notorious project is the government agency that the government doesn't want: The National Drug Intelligence Center, also in Murtha's hometown. Every year the White House tries to close it because they already have a Drug Intelligence Center. But Murtha keeps the duplicate open using half-a-billion dollars in earmarks.

“You want to drive a stake through its heart but you can’t,” says Leslie Paige for Citizens Against Government Waste. “Because Congressman Murtha continues to put this in.”

Murtha's power plays are no surprise to those who've followed him since the 1980s bribery scandal known as ABSCAM. An undercover tape shows him bragging about his power, saying, “I’ve got as much influence in that goddamned Congress with the leadership and the White House as anyone in Congress... I know the right people and I know the system.”

Three decades later, Murtha not only knows the system; he's mastered it.

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Add a Comment See all 60 Comments
by mcoleman123 March 18, 2009 2:57 PM EDT
After watching this story I feel it's irrelevant as to which party this man belongs to. To have the gall to stand in front of a camera, hold up a copy of the Constitution and say "Congress decides where the money goes. That means I decide where the money goes" speaks of the arrogance that some of these so called "public servants" have.
Excuse me, but last time I checked not only did Mr. Murtha (I refuse to give him the courtesy of the title "Congressman") work for the people of Pennsylvania, but he worked for the people of the United States. That means he works for all of us, and it's all our money he is spending. I wish our newly elected administration would tackle the problem of term limits for these "career" politicians. I'm sure our founding fathers never envisioned the day of a person spending billions of dollars in the name of keeping himself in office.
Hopefully with this investigation Mr. Murtha's goose is cooked, or maybe I should say his pork is roasted.
Reply to this comment
by down-ndirty April 8, 2008 3:50 AM EDT
Well... down-ndirty I will accept that we respectfully disagree. And yes... If I were in Murtha''''s shoes confronted with the bleak economic experience in Pennslyvania I would do the same and probably more. All the while I would be feeling only pride in my constituents and the hell with Media.
Posted by anappleadae at 11:50 PM : Apr 06, 2008
---------------------

This statement says it all: ''...Murtha''s million-dollar earmark to the "The Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure." %u201CWe don%u2019t even know if it even exists,%u201D says anti-earmark Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ).''

Amazing! I wouldn''t give a rat''s butt if I thought that only taxes paid by PA residents were involved. I''m a Dem and I say that Murtha is ripping off all tax payers.

If not for the media the sleeze in DC would be much worse.
Reply to this comment
by besmart3 April 7, 2008 11:36 PM EDT
What are we getting for our tax dollars...lets take an honest look. From looking at ctc and their "centers" here it is:
- Improved welding for submarines
- Created a new steel for ship use (lighter and stronger)
- Mechanize the manual labor process for shipbuilding to reduce work injuries
- Reduced Humvee rollovers due to designed and installed warning systems
- Improved thermal battery production
- Improved Lightweight Howitzer manufacturing

I also don''t like wasting of tax dollars....but scientifically there seems to be some big things coming out of this work.....just my 2 cents
Reply to this comment
by ioweign April 7, 2008 8:30 PM EDT
I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.
Winston Churchill
Reply to this comment
by kscislaw April 7, 2008 6:48 PM EDT
Let''s play "NAME THE PARTY". I''m sorry, but I missed the mention of the political party in the story. Could it be Murtha is a Democrat?

CBS is just rubbish. You continue to embarrass yourself over the Siegleman story (Hint: I was a vendor selling to that crooked administration). And you just can''t even tell a pork story without showing your bias.
Reply to this comment
by michellem99-2009 April 7, 2008 6:22 PM EDT
We need to clean congress'' house..that means the fat cats.
Have them live the life the poor does day in and day out.
Take the Metro city bus-the public mass transit.
If they must fly..reg, class.
Dump the fancy high class living.
Sure it is pretty.
Can''t relate to it.
Ye not royality..for pete''s sake.
They don''t need those costy plates.
I visit Subway once in a while..
So can they for lunch,supper over a high class eatry.
the pres of the US as well.
We don''t have guards every where we go.
They do.
It is like 2 Americas.
We the people,for the people,by the people American that is.
Buy their clothes where we do target,and like shops
Computer the same as us.
they are no better than us.
Foster Moster said yer no better than the next person. She was right in that lesson she taught me..
Reply to this comment
by jgunther7 April 7, 2008 6:12 PM EDT
noloyalisti: What is really worrying about all this is that we shouldn''t be there in the first place.
Reply to this comment
by noloyalisti April 7, 2008 5:32 PM EDT
Who is the surge working for? Exxon and Chevron? How did it work for the 4,000 dead soldiers and their families? How about the 1,000,000 dead Iraqis?

A report just released says we are no closer to political progress in Iraq then we were a year ago. It also says we need another 5-10 years of occupation to even consider progress. Are you and your kids willing to pay for that?
Reply to this comment
by mudrose-2009 April 7, 2008 3:50 PM EDT
According to an estimate by Taxpayers for Common Sense, he''''s steered more than $600 million in earmarks to his Pennsylvania district in the past four years and $2 billion since 1992. But what''''s been good for Murtha and his district is not always good for taxpayers.

But he screams likea Banshi about the cost of the War. Actually the Surge has succeeded so he can''t scream about that. The Iraqi Government has met it''s hardest benchmarks so he can''t scream about that. al-Sadr has decided to ban his militia on the word of Sistani it''s oldest and most revered cleric so he can''t scream about that. Now it''s how much the war is costing, but his $600 million pork okay.
Reply to this comment
by parrot123-2009 April 7, 2008 12:56 PM EDT
According to an estimate by Taxpayers for Common Sense, he''s steered more than $600 million in earmarks to his Pennsylvania district in the past four years and $2 billion since 1992. But what''s been good for Murtha and his district is not always good for taxpayers.


CBS needs to stop Parroting BS from Repug groups - The last sentence on this posted statement can only have been written by a Repug - especially one who''d think that the Americans in Murtha''s District are not TAXPAYERS. Cheers!
Reply to this comment
by parrot123-2009 April 7, 2008 12:54 PM EDT
I think we should get rid of Murtha and the problem would probably start taking care of themselves. it seems to me he is one of the problems...not the only problem, but just a small start on a long list. It''''s time to cut the dead wood. We can''''t afford these kind of politicians anymore!
Posted by KenMar71 at 08:41 AM : Apr 07, 2008

Why are Repugs like Jeff Flake going after Dems instead of talking to their own party members - Aren''t Repugs still the top 5 POrkers ???
Reply to this comment
by simonsez40 April 7, 2008 12:01 PM EDT
In a perfect world Congress would pass a law making EARMARKS illegal. All Congress and Senate are on the take .......... once the government is corrupt it slowly begins to erode.
Reply to this comment
by kenmar71 April 7, 2008 11:41 AM EDT
I think we should get rid of Murtha and the problem would probably start taking care of themselves. it seems to me he is one of the problems...not the only problem, but just a small start on a long list. It''s time to cut the dead wood. We can''t afford these kind of politicians anymore!
Reply to this comment
by jgunther7 April 7, 2008 7:49 AM EDT
Murtha is on the take and he supports Hillary Clinton, that speaks for itself.
Reply to this comment
by anappleadae April 7, 2008 2:50 AM EDT
Well... down-ndirty I will accept that we respectfully disagree. And yes... If I were in Murtha''s shoes confronted with the bleak economic experience in Pennslyvania I would do the same and probably more. All the while I would be feeling only pride in my constituents and the hell with Media.
Reply to this comment
by mocaleo-2 April 6, 2008 11:15 PM EDT
Congressman John Murtha, is now slamed by CBS
until he supported Clinton CBS made hime to be a hero

why did this change after he slammed obama?
Reply to this comment
by down-ndirty April 6, 2008 10:57 PM EDT
down-ndirty
The problem with your take on this and other governmental issues is your tunnel vision and two dimentional thinking. You comments would be more creative if your thinking encompassed a broader view of the ongoing government agenda.
Posted by anappleadae at 01:28 PM : Apr 06, 200
---------------------------

Apple-a-day: People like you crack me up. Your own creative thinking encompasses the BROAD view that you are "glad that Murtha is trying to ease the abject pain of his constituents."

Creative thinker your are, apple-a-day. Ha Ha Ha!!! And you are so quick to critique the opinions of others.

Reply to this comment
by antoniof123 April 6, 2008 10:22 PM EDT
Well, now you know why they keep getting elected they bring money to their home states and that looks good for them.
Reply to this comment
by anappleadae April 6, 2008 10:05 PM EDT
Jt_Lancer

Your comment alledging that the Public Sector is like scum rising to the top; Am I missing something here? Are you not the Public? Sooooo... Just who is this very creamy Private Sector?

Are you referring to Businesses who would have no environment to operate if not for your scummy support of our so-called scummy fortified and civilized Public Government? Actually is this Government not a reflection of the scum known as you and me?
Reply to this comment
by jt_lancer April 6, 2008 9:32 PM EDT
In the private sector, the cream rises to the top. In the public sector, the scum rises to the top.
Reply to this comment
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