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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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June 20th,
2008 - Haditha Marine May Sue Murtha |
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By Bryant Jordan Military.com June 20, 2008 A Marine who was charged
with failing to investigate the November 2005 killings of 24 Iraqis in the
village of Haditha may sue Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., for libel and defamation
of character, according to a report in the online news site, World Net Daily. Attorney Brian Rooney made
the comments during an interview with right-wing radio talk show host Michael
Savage after a military judge dismissed the case against his client, Lt. Col.
Jeffrey Chessani, on June 17 after finding that a general overseeing the case
was improperly influenced by an investigator of the 2005 shootings. According to the WND report,
Rooney said any suit against Murtha, as well as a Time magazine reporter who
wrote the first major piece on the killings, would have to wait until
Chessani is fully “out of the woods.” That’s not the case, yet, as
prosecutors on June 19 filed a notice to appeal the dismissal. That move was
made possible by the military judge’s decision to dismiss the charges against
Chessani “without prejudice.” Nearly all the Marines
originally charged in connection with the Nov. 19, 2005, killings have been
cleared, which has only helped to fuel the anger of many against Murtha, who
early on claimed the killings had been done in cold blood, not self defense. “There was no firefight,”
Murtha said in May 2006. “There was no IED that killed these innocent people.
Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed
innocent civilians in cold blood.” Rooney told Savage it would
be difficult to sue a sitting congressman, but that it can be done. "If he leaves his realm
of speaking from the congressman's point of view … then he can be sued for
libel and defamation," Rooney said. Also eyed in a possible
lawsuit is Tim McGuirk of Time. Rooney said the massacre story was planted by
insurgents, and picked up on by McGuirk for his story. Prosecutors appealing the
dismissal of charges against Chessani have 20 days to file a written appeal,
spelling out why they disagree with the ruling by the judge, Col. Steven
Folsom. Defense attorneys then have 20 days to respond, said Chessani's military
attorney, Lt. Col. Jon Shelburne. It is unclear from the
one-page court filing what the prosecutor, Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan, will use
as his grounds for appeal. A telephone call to the Marine Corps seeking
comment was not immediately returned. Folsom also barred Marine
Forces Central Command from future involvement in the case. Joint Forces
Command and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were also excluded from filing
future charges. It was not immediately clear
who would take over the case and who would have authority to refile charges. Authorities originally
charged eight Marines - four enlisted men with counts related to the killings
and four officers in connection with the investigation. Charges were dropped
against five men and a sixth, 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson of Springboro, Ohio, was
acquitted of charges he hindered the investigation. Only one man currently faces
prosecution - Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn., who is charged
with voluntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty. Associated Press contributed
to this report. © Copyright 2008
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