Roll Call (sub. req.) reports this breaking news:
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) told a group of Democratic moderates on Tuesday that an ethics and lobbying reform bill being pushed by party leaders was “total crap,” but said that he would work to enact the legislation because Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) supports it.Murtha and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are locked in a battle for the House Majority Leader post, and both men made presentations for to the Blue Dog Coalition on Tuesday in a bid for their votes.
“Even though I think it’s total crap, I’ll vote for it and pass it because that’s what Nancy wants,” Murtha told the Blue Dogs, according to three sources who were at the meeting… .
Murtha office’s did not comment for for this article.
Update: Read the full article here.
Late Update: While Murtha did not respond to Roll Call’s requests for comment, at least two Democrats have since spoken on his behalf, explaining his words were misconstrued. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) and Democratic strategist Flavia Colgan have appeared on cable news shows to claim Murtha’s words were taken out of context.
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