Walter B. Jones: “Saturday was the final day of the article 32 hearing for a Marine facing murder charges for actions he took against…”

“Saturday was the final day of the article 32 hearing for a Marine facing murder charges for actions he took against Iraqi insurgents in self-defense. A year ago in Iraq, Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano made a split-second decision to shoot two Iraqi insurgents who refused to follow his orders to stop their movement towards him. Two and a half months later a sergeant under his command, who never even saw the shooting and who was earlier demoted by Pantano for his lack of leadership abilities, accused him of murder. Now the case is in the hands of a hearing officer who must determine whether Lieutenant Pantano will face a court-martial. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today, as I have many other nights, in support of this bright young lieutenant. I have always maintained the innocence of Lieutenant Pantano, and I believe last week's hearing produced information that will ultimately prove his innocence. During the hearing, it became clear that the sergeant who accused Lieutenant Pantano, Sergeant Coburn, disobeyed orders to not grant interviews to the media on this case. At one point he left the stand after the hearing officer read him his rights and explained he could face charges for disobeying orders. When he finally did return to testify on Saturday, he is reported to have said ``I don't know'' or ``I can't remember'' over 50 times. His story simply could not hold up under cross-examination. Mr.…”