WE'RE LIVE AT PPG PAINTS ARENA.
GOOD EVENING.
WE ARE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS.
CONGRESSMAN TIM MURPHY'S
POLITICAL FUTURE IS IN QUESTION
THIS EVENING.
THE PUBLISHED REPORTS SHOW THAT
HE MET WITH REPUBLICAN LEADERS
IN WASHINGTON AFTER A REPORT
THAT HE SUGGESTED HIS MISTRESS
HAVE AN ABORTION DESPITE THE
CONGRESSMAN'S PRO-LIFE STANCE.
POLITICAL EDITOR JOHN DELANO
SAYS THAT CONGRESSMAN MURPHY
HAS TWO CHOICES, AND JOHN HAS
LEARNED THAT HE MAY BE LEANING
IN ONE DIRECTION.
JOHN, WHAT IS THE VERY LATEST?
Reporter: WELL, SUSAN, THE
CHOICE, EITHER RESIGN
IMMEDIATELY OR ANNOUNCE HIS
RETIREMENT AT THE END OF NEXT
YEAR WHEN HIS TERM IS UP.
I AM TOLD IT IS MORE LIKELY HE
WILL RETIRE THAN RESIGN, BUT
THE TEXTS WITH HIS MISTRESS ARE
ONLY PART OF THE TROUBLES
MURPHY IS FACING TONIGHT.
A FORMER CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
DIRECTOR FOR CONGRESSMAN TIM
MURPHY SAYS THE REALLY
REPUBLICAN HAS A HISTORY OF
BEING ABUSIVE.
IT WAS ONE OF THE WORST
PLACES I HAVE EVER WORKED IN MY
LIFE.
Reporter: A RETIRED
COMMANDER IN THE U.S. NAVY, WHO
TRAINED AIRLINE PILOTS, HEADED
UP MURPHY'S PITTSBURGH OFFICE
FOR 16 MONTHS BEFORE BEING
FIRED.
SCREAMING, INTIMIDATION,
NOTHING YOU EVER DID WAS RIGHT,
YOU KNOW.
I MEAN, HE COULDN'T MAINTAIN
STAFF.
CALLING IN TO MARTY
GRIFFIN'S KDKA RADIO SHOW, HE
CONFIRMED SOME DETAILS OF A
MEMO SENT BY MURPHY'S CHIEF OF
STAFF OUTLINING THE ABUSES TO
THE CONGRESSMAN.
IN THE JUNE 8th MEMO, QUOTE, I
HAVE BOTH WITNESSED AND BEEN
EXPOSED TO HOSTILE, ERRATIC,
UNSTABLE, ANGRY, AGGRESSIVE,
AND ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR FROM THE
CONGRESSMAN, UNQUOTE.
I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS
INCOMPETENT AND INSUB ORDER
INNOCENT THAT IS WHAT I WAS
TOLD, OKAY?
NOW, YOU CAN'T BE COMPETENT
WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH A
CRAZY PERSON.
YOU CAN'T BE -- YOU KNOW, THAT
MATTER WHAT YOU DID, EVERYTHING
WAS WRONG.
I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE
GREATEST ADMINISTRATOR, BUT ONE
THING I DID KNOW HOW TO DO WAS
LEAD AND IT IS HARD TO BUILD A
TEAM WHEN YOU COULDN'T KEEP
PEOPLE, AND IT WAS HARD TO LEAD
A TEAM.
Reporter: IN HER MEMO, THERE
WAS NEARLY 100% STAFF TURNOVER
THIS YEAR ALONE.
ONE LOCAL REPUBLICAN SAYS IT IS
ALL PILING UP FOR MURPHY.
CLEARLY HIS BRAND, HIS NAME
IS BECOMING SOMEWHAT TOXIC.
Reporter: ROBERT MORRIS
UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENTIST,
A CONSTITUENT, AN TRUMP
DELEGATE TO THE REPUBLICAN
CONVENTION, SAYS THE DISCLOSURE
THAT MURPHY URGED HIS MISTRESS
TO GET AN ABORTION HAS OFFENDED
MANY.
RESIGN OR DEFINITELY NOT
SEEK ANOTHER TERM.
Reporter: NOW, AGAIN,
SOURCES TELL ME MURPHY IS MORE
LIKELY TO SERVE OUT HIS TERM
AND RETIRE NEXT YEAR THAN
RESIGN.
BUT THE SITUATION IS VERY
FLUID.
EARLIER TODAY MURPHY MET WITH
THE HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN,
PLIGHT CO-REPORTS, AND NO
COMMENTS FROM MURPHY TODAY.
IN FACT, HIS CAPITOL HILL
OFFICE TELEPHONE WAS PUT ON
NIGHT SERVICE DURING THE MIDDLE
