PA-18: Tim Murphy (R) Under Federal Investigation

The scandals just never end.  According to local media, Republican Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania is under federal investigation surrounding allegations that some of his legislative staffers were forced into doing campaign work on government time:

According to the congressional ethics manual, campaign matters must be handled by a separate staff.

But some former workers say that wasn’t the case.

“There were several times when staff was asked and basically pressured into doing campaign activities,” said Jayne O’Shaughnessy, a former staffer for Murphy.

Documents obtained by KDKA at least suggest that.

One document is a campaign planning timeline, which appears to require “D.O.” meaning district office employees go door-to-door.

It’s a document that Murphy took from KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan when he showed it to him in November.

“This is my personal materials. I don’t know how you got this, but this is my personal materials. I’m taking it back,” said Murphy.

Just in case you forgot about that wonderfully absurd moment last month wherein Congressman Murphy “reclaimed” his “personal materials”, check out this hysterical news clip on YouTube.

Murphy’s district, the 18th, has a slight Republican lean (Cook rates it as R+2.2), but Clinton won this area handily in the ’90s.  I would suggest that recruiting a strong challenge to Murphy should be high on the To Do List of local and state Democrats for 2007.

(Thanks to walja for the scoop.)