Murtha may be called to testify
Wouldn’t that be something? Via the Washington Times:
A criminal defense attorney for a Marine under investigation in the Haditha killings says he will call a senior Democratic congressman as a trial witness, if his client is charged, to find out who told the lawmaker that U.S. troops are guilty of cold-blooded murder.
Attorney Neal A. Puckett told The Washington Times that Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine commandant, briefed Rep. John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania Democrat, on the Nov. 19 killings of 24 Iraqis in the town north of Baghdad. Mr. Murtha later told reporters that the Marines were guilty of killing the civilians in “cold blood.” Mr. Murtha said he based his statement on Marine commanders, whom he did not identify.
Mr. Puckett said such public comments from a congressman via senior Marines amount to “unlawful command influence.” He said potential Marine jurors could be biased by the knowledge that their commandant, the Corps’ top officer, thinks the Haditha Marines are guilty.
“Congressman Murtha will be one of the first witnesses I call to the witness stand,” Mr. Puckett said yesterday.
Mr. Puckett represents Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, an eight-year Marine who was a key participant in the Haditha operations that resulted in the 24 civilian deaths.
No word yet from the Murtha camp.
Prior:
- More sliming of our troops from the MSM
- First hand account from Sgt. who led Marines in Haditha
- TIME issues correction on Haditha story
- Media coverage of Haditha: this cartoon says it all
- How our troops try to avoid civilian casualties
- How Islamofascists use our own media against us
- Michael Yon: Haditha in context
- Today’s must-read on Haditha
- Chris Hitchens: Haditha is not My Lai
- Mark Steyn on Haditha
- A series of posts on Haditha
- Jed Babbin on Haditha
- Murtha slimes our troops: “…it looks like it’s the policy of our troops to do something like this.”
- The Haditha incident
- Does Rep. John Murtha know something we don’t?