Mum lawmakers to weigh in on murders FINALLY!

THE HILL by Mike Soraghan

Members of Congress will weigh in next week on two politically-charged murders that they have been wary of commenting about.

Resolutions condemning the murder of a Kansas abortion provider and the shooting of two Army recruiters have been scheduled for Tuesday in the House.

George Tiller, a physician specializing in late term abortions, was fatally shot Sunday in the vestibule of his Lutheran church.

Private William Andrew Long was killed and Quinton I. Ezeagwula was wounded in a shooting Monday at a Little Rock recruiting station. Police say the suspect, Abdulhakim Muhammad, 23, told investigators he wanted to kill as many Army personnel as he could "because of what they had done to Muslims in the past."

Conservative commentators have criticized President Obama's statements on the two murders, saying his response to the Tiller murder was more forceful. Obama's statement about the recruiting station shooting said he was "deeply saddened." His statement on the Tiller murder said he was "shocked and outraged."

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) has introduced a resolution condemning Tiller's murder. It was co-sponsored by more than 70 Democrats.

The resolution offers condolences to Tiller's family and states "violence is never an appropriate response to a difference in beliefs."

It also highlights violence occurring at churches, noting that 38 people in the United States have been killed in places of worship in the last 10 years.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) sponsored the resolution on the recruiting station shooting. Wording and co-sponsor information was unavailable Saturday.

Both resolutions have been placed on the suspension calendar, a fast-track procedure that requires a two-thirds vote.

Tiller's funeral was held Saturday under tight security at a United Methodist Church in Wichita.

The Justice Department Friday announced that it will conduct a federal investigation into Tiller's murder. The investigation, which is in addition to the local murder investigation, will focus on potential prosecution under federal laws that forbid blocking entry into clinics.

Few members of Congress have officially responded to either of the murders. In Kansas, Republican Sen. Sam Brownback (R), an ardent abortion opponent, is the only lawmaker in the six-member delegation to have posted a statement about the Tiller murder on his congressional website.

Brownback's four-sentence statement condemned the murder and said Brownback was "shocked and saddened."

No members of the Arkansas delegation have posted statements about the fatal shooting at the recruiting station.

But lawmakers have not been pressed hard for reaction. A press secretary for one congressional leader said the leaders' staff had prepared reaction for the Tiller murder if reporters asked, but it never came up.