Levittown, PA--October 28, 2005--Patrick Murphy, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and candidate for the United States Congress, today issued the following statement in response to the indictment of Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff:

"As a soldier, an attorney, and an American, I am disgusted that Vice President Cheney's most trusted aide saw fit to put partisan politics ahead of our national security.  Lewis Libby's actions not only put in jeopardy Ms. Plame's life and that of other CIA agents, but also compromised intelligence gathering efforts.

"This is one more example of the culture of cronyism, corruption, incompetence and cover up that has come to define the Republican Party. As the prosecutor noted in the indictment, this action by the Bush White House may have seriously damaged the CIA's ability to protect our nation from foreign threats. This damage to covert operations may threaten our troops in the field and the security of Americans here at home."