A former Marine Corps lance corporal sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha for slander on Thursday, saying the Congressman damaged his reputation by saying Marines killed women and children "in cold blood" in Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005.
The federal lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh says the high-ranking Democrat violated Justin Sharratt's rights to due process and presumption of innocence with comments on various news shows in May 2006. Sharratt, honorably discharged last year, said he's received hate e-mails and been called "baby killer" when he goes out in Canonsburg, about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh.
The lawsuit said Murtha repeatedly said on CNN, NBC and other outlets that the Marines "overreacted because of the pressure on them and killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Murtha claimed his Haditha information came from Pentagon higher-ups, who denied that, Geary said. Read more....
It is telling that Murtha, who could not wait to get in front of TV cameras to make these unfounded charges, has since then steadfastly refused to respond to any requests for comments, or to issue an apology. YouTube has videos posted of Murtha ducking questions on this issue for over a year.
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