Republicans Push to Reprimand Murtha

U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, Dem. Pa.,is shown in Carrolltown, Pa. in this 2006 file photo. Republicans will seek a House vote next week admonishing Murtha because they say he threatened a GOP member's spending projects in a noisy exchange in the House chamber. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) (Keith Srakocic - AP)

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans angled Tuesday to put Democrats in a no-win position: reprimand a senior colleagues or be seen as blindly excusing legislative bullying for partisan reasons.

House leaders tentatively scheduled a late Tuesday vote on a Republican move to reprimand Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The GOP accuses Murtha of making a blatant threat against a Republican who challenged a pet project that Murtha wanted.

Democratic leaders said they believed they had the votes to kill the motion, but conceded that some party members were unhappy about being pressed to defend a blustery colleague known for bare-knuckled politics.

Murtha has not disputed a Republican claim that he stormed across the House floor May 17 to confront Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. Rogers had tried unsuccessfully to strike a $23 million Murtha earmark _ or narrowly targeted spending item _ for a drug intelligence center in Murtha's district.

In a House speech Monday, Rogers said Murtha threatened him by saying, "you will not get any earmarks now and forever."

Rogers, backed by House GOP leaders, said Murtha's threat violates congressional ethics rules and "merits the reprimand of the House."