Abscam

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how, from 1978-1980, the Federal Bureau of Investigations conducted a sting operation known as Abscam, which resulted in the criminal convictions of politicians in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as a Senator and six members of the House. The paper contends that Abscam was one of the ugliest chapters in modern political history, destroying the careers and reputations of political figures at the local, state and federal levels. In particular, the paper looks at how one political figure who managed to emerge from the scandal relatively unscathed is John Murtha, who is now one of the longest-serving members of Congress. The paper also discusses how historians, political scientists, social commentators and criminologists have long debated whether Murtha should have been more aggressively pursued by the House and by the federal Justice Department.

Outline:
Murtha's Role in Abscam
House Ethics
Criminal Laws Broken?
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"From Murtha's perspective, he was exonerated. He has long declared his innocence, rightly pointing out that he never accepted a bribe during the meeting (Hannity and Colmes, 2006). Washington Post reporter Jack Anderson, who covered Abscam for the paper, offers a back-handed defense of Murtha, saying he played "perhaps the saddest scene on the secret Abscam videotapes. ... He refused to take the money, but his reason was hardly noble (Murtha: 'I expect,' 2006)." Indeed, one could argue that Murtha's reasons did not have to be noble. In the end, he did not take a bribe and arguably did not deserve to be as aggressively prosecuted as his colleagues, who accepted money."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ethics manual for members, officers and employees of the U.S. House of Representatives (1992). Retrieved Oct. 20, 2007 from http://www.house.gov/ethics/Gifts_and_Travel_Chapter.htm#_Toc476623605.
• The FBI stings Congress (1980, Feb. 18). Time. Retrieved Oct. 21, 2007 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,921807,00.html.
• Fund, J. (2006, Nov. 15). Meet the new boss. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Oct. 21, 2007 from http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110009248.
• Hall, R. and Morano, M. (2006, Jan. 13). Murtha's anti-war stance overshadows Abscam past. Cybercast News Service. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2007 from http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200601\POL20 060113d.html.
• Hannity, S. and Colmes, A. (2006, Oct. 3). FBI tape reveals John Murtha's role in Abscam scandal. Fox News. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2007 from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,217305,00.html.

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: