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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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December 19th,
2007 - Haditha Defendant Wants Murtha, Hagee to Talk |
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Haditha Defendant Wants
Murtha, Hagee to Talk Accused Marine’s lawyers say political pressure prompted charges By Teri Figueroa North County Times December 19, 2007 Camp Pendleton - A lance
corporal charged with killing Iraqi civilians, including children, in Haditha
in 2005 wants a military court to order U.S. Rep. John Murtha to submit to
interviews about comments Murtha made accusing Marines of murder. Attorneys for Lance Cpl.
Stephen Tatum also want to force an interview with retired Marine Corps
Commandant Michael Hagee about what Hagee may have said to Murtha or others
about the Haditha killings. Defense attorney Jack
Zimmerman argued in a Camp Pendleton courtroom Wednesday that the charges
Tatum faces may have come not because they were warranted, but rather as a
result of pressure from top Marine Corps brass. The slayings in Haditha on
Nov. 19, 2005, triggered an international uproar and condemnation. Murtha,
D-Pa., a former Marine, asserted publicly that he had learned from Marine
Corps officials, including Hagee, that innocent Iraqis had been killed
"in cold blood." "We need to know if the
commandant really said that," Zimmerman told the judge, Lt. Col. Eugene
Robinson. Zimmerman, a civilian
attorney, wants to find out which military officials spoke to Murtha and what
they may have told him. Tatum, 26, has been charged
with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of two children in a Haditha
home. Tatum, who also is charged with aggravated assault and reckless
endangerment, has not yet entered a plea. His trial is set for early
spring. A conviction could result in up to 19 years in prison and a
dishonorable discharge. Zimmerman said he plans to
ask Robinson to dismiss the case, based on his contention that Tatum will not
get a fair trial. The defense attorney raised
concerns that potential jury members may have been unduly influenced by
comments from commanders suggesting the accused Marines are guilty. Robinson will rule on the
request on a later date. Zimmerman told the judge
that Hagee, who retired from the Marine Corps in November 2006, has declined
to submit to an interview. Murtha also declined, Zimmerman said. Murtha's comments also
spawned a civil libel suit brought by Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, another
Marine who may face charges in the Haditha killings. In September, a federal
trial judge ordered Murtha to talk to Wuterich's attorneys about whether his
comments came within the scope of his job as a congressman. Murtha is
appealing the order. In addition to Hagee and
Murtha, Tatum's attorneys also want Robinson to force Tatum's former
battalion commander, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, to testify at Tatum's trial,
set for March. Chessani was in charge on
the day of the shootings, and is facing his own trial on charges of willful
dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order for allegedly failing to
completely probe the slayings. Tatum's pre-trial hearing
addressed a number of issues, including the reluctance of the Iraqi witnesses
to come to the United States to testify. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/20/news/top_stories/1_04_3612_19_07.txt |