Any good will remaining between Congressmen John Murtha and Frank Mascara, opponents in the 12th District Democratic primary, has dissolved after the two men got involved in a confrontation on the House floor. Mascara said Murtha confronted him April 10 on the House floor, complaining that Mascara had filed an official complaint against him alleging that the Cambria County lawmaker violated House rules by using congressional resources to campaign in areas that have been added to a district by redistricting. Billy Horton, Mascara’s campaign manager, said Murtha approached Mascara during a floor debate, demanding to know why he filed the complaint with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. “Frank and Jack don’t converse that much any more,” Horton said. “He got in Frank’s face and wanted to know why he filed that complaint. If it’s such a bogus charge, why is he so worried about it?” Mascara filed the complaint after Murtha held a news conference in Charleroi with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to announce his support for a river lock improvement project. Mascara charged that Murtha had come into a portion of his 20th District, which will be part of the new 12th District next year, to hold an official event. Horton said that during the tense encounter, Mascara told Murtha to talk to the committee about the complaint. “He said, ‘Hey Jack, you got the same report that I got from the committee about how to conduct ourselves during the election. If you got a problem, take it up with them.'” Brad Clemenson, Murtha’s director of communications, would not discuss details of the confrontation but said Horton was “distorting it.” “Even as we challenge them to tell the truth, they continue the distortions,” he said. Murtha said Mascara doesn’t understand House campaign rules. “The rules clearly state that Congress members may hold events and issue news releases outside their district under various circumstances, including when it deals with a matter that affects not only the member’s district but also geographic areas surrounding the district,” Murtha said in a statement. “In every case where Mascara claims a violation, Murtha has a history of working on the project long before redistricting,” the statement said. Murtha accused Mascara of spreading lies about his record in Mascara’s campaign literature. He also claimed Mascara was embellishing his record by claiming that he created 12,000 jobs since he was elected to Congress in 1995. And he contended Mascara took credit for jobs at Southpointe near Canonsburg as a congressman when most of those jobs, Murtha said, were created while Mascara was a Washington County commissioner. “We never said that,” Horton responded. “We said he created 12,000 jobs since he became a public servant.” Mascara has attacked Murtha for votes against campaign finance reform, Social Security and tax cuts. Murtha said he voted against campaign finance reform because he believes the law will never withstand a constitutional challenge. Horton said Murtha has consistently voted against campaign finance reform throughout his tenure in Congress because he relies on a substantial portion of his campaign donations from out-of-state contributors. Murtha also said he voted against the Social Security “lock box” legislation, saying the original bill “came with exaggerated claims about whether it would work.” He pointed out that he voted for a later version of the bill. Murtha also chastised Mascara for distorting his record on producing defense-related jobs in the 12th District through his role as ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee. Murtha said he has created 4,000 jobs in the 12th District through government contract awards, but Horton counters that number is “very minuscule” when compared to the size of the Defense Department budget. “There is $370 billion in the defense appropriations process,” Horton said, “and the money going into the 12th District is less than $150 million.”

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