Pirate's Cove

HA! Damn straight!

A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss a defamation case against Rep. John P. Murtha and ordered the Pennsylvania Democrat to give a sworn deposition about his comments alleging "cold-blooded murder and war crimes" by unnamed soldiers in connection with Iraqi civilian deaths.

A Marine Corps sergeant is suing the 18-term congressman for making the charge, which the soldier claims is false. Murtha, who opposes the Iraq war, made the comment during a May, 2006 Capitol Hill news conference in which he predicted that a Pentagon war crimes investigation will show Marines killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005.

Court TV, please please please!

The Justice Department wanted the case dismissed because Murtha was acting in his official role as a lawmaker. Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Henault said the comments were made as part of the debate over the war in Iraq.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer said the congressman might be right, but said she won’t know for sure unless Murtha explains himself. She did not set a date for Murtha’s testimony but said she would also require him to turn over documents related to his comments.

"You’re writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to their home districts and say anything they choose about private persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you want to do that?" Collyer said, adding later, "How far can a congressman go and still be protected?"

Collyer said she was troubled by the idea the lawmakers are immune from lawsuits regardless of what they say to advance their political careers.

Kinda goes to the heart of politicians being responsive to the People and responsible for their actions and words. They forget they are there for us, not themselves, and can be called to account. If they want to play those slander games among themselves and put up with it, hey, go for it. When they want to try with private citizens, even those who are being paid by the government, that is a whole ‘nother ball game.

Zaid said Murtha was not acting within his congressional duties and was instead trying to embarrass then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, with whom Zaid said Murtha had a personal dispute.

Even if he was, my copy of the Constitution does not afford him the right to slander US citizens at will with no repercussions.

More at:  

• Hot Air – If average Americans can’t get away with slander, why should Murtha?
• Wake Up America – Murtha deserves to be publicly humiliated for those accusations against Marines without the benefit of a full investigation or trial and I am glad the judge has ordered this deposition.
• Right Voices

Via Memeorandum

Previous post on this here.