[antimedia] antimedia: John Murtha is being sued....

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Posted by antimedia:
John Murtha is being sued....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1154531149.shtml


   ....for [1]defamation of charater. A Marine involved in the Haditha
   incident is suing Murtha.

     Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that
     Murtha tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news
     organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside
     bomb killed one of its members and that the troops "killed innocent
     civilians in cold blood." Murtha also said repeatedly that the
     incident was covered up.

   Of course, we now know the incident was not covered up, as Murtha
   claimed.
   Murtha's office would not respond to phone calls.
   Wuterich's lawyers claim Murtha was lied to.

     In the court filing, obtained by The Washington Post, the lawyers
     say that Murtha made the comments after being briefed by Defense
     Department officials who "deliberately provided him with inaccurate
     and false information." Neal A. Puckett and Mark S. Zaid, suing for
     libel and invasion of privacy, also wrote that Murtha made the
     comments outside of his official scope as a congressman.

   You have to wonder why Defense department officials would do that.
   Were they trying to set Murtha up? Or were they, like Murtha, haters
   of the military?
   It's an interesting legal manuever, designed to flush out the leakers,
   according to Wuterich's attorney.

     Zaid said the filing is designed partly to force Murtha to disclose
     what information he received from the Defense Department and the
     Marine Corps commandant to form his opinion, essentially trying to
     speed up the discovery process in a potential criminal trial.
     "This case is not about money; it's about clearing Frank Wuterich's
     name, and part of that is to identify where these leaks are coming
     from," Zaid said in an interview. "Congressman Murtha has created
     this atmosphere that has already concluded guilt. He's created this
     environment that really smells, and he's the only one who has done
     that."

   Even more interesting is that Murtha would run to the press with the
   story rather than withhold judgment until the investigation was
   completed.
   Says a lot about his integrity, doesn't it? (Hat tip to reader Steve.)

References

   1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101345.html