Republicans Blast Shea-Porter for Murtha “Ties”

Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter has come under fire for her connections to embattled Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA).

The National Republican Congressional Committee has accused Shea-Porter, who on multiple occasions has voted against Republican-sponsored resolutions calling for a House Ethics Committee inquiry of Murtha’s ties to a lobbying firm currently under federal investigation, of turning a blind eye to pay-to-play politics.  “Carol Shea-Porter’s unabashed willingness to stand in solidarity with Jack Murtha embodies everything that is wrong with Washington,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain.

Murtha has been accused of improper ties with a now defunct lobbying firm – the PMA Group – led by Paul Magliocchetti, a Murtha protégé and former House Appropriations Committee staffer.  The FBI is currently investigating claims that the firm made illegal campaign contributions to lawmakers supportive of their clients’ projects.  For his part, Murtha has steered hundreds of millions of dollars in “earmarked” taxpayer money to clients of PMA.  According to the New York Times, PMA has contributed $2.4 million to Murtha since 1998.

The NRCC notes that Shea-Porter has received $11,000 from Murtha during her two Congressional races.  In 2006, Murtha’s political action committee was one of the top-20 contributors to Shea-Porter’s famously bare-bones campaign.

Shea-Porter has a bit of history supporting Murtha:

She voted to kill a motion to reprimand Murtha after he allegedly threatened another member seeking to reduce funding for one of Murtha’s hometown pork projects.

Shea-Porter called Murtha a “profile in courage” after he came under fire for saying in U.S. could not succeed in Iraq and should withdraw.

It is speculated, though never confirmed, that Shea-Porter supported Murtha in his bid to become Majority Leader after her election in 2006.