Salon.com > Ilario Pantano

GOP House hopeful who killed unarmed Iraqis loses

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:39:00 +0000

North Carolina Republican House hopeful Ilario Pantano, the former Marine who in 2004 killed two unarmed Iraqi prisoners and faced murder charges that were ultimately dropped, has lost in his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike McIntyre.

With about 75% of precincts reporting, Pantano is behind by the surprisingly large margin of nine points. Some polls had shown him even with McIntyre or even ahead, and he attracted ad dollars from the national GOP.

"Thank you. Thank you. We held the line and live to fight another day," read a tweet from Pantano's official Twitter feed this evening.

Look for Pantano, who has become a favorite of right-wing media figures like Michael Savage and Sean Hannity, to stay engaged in conservative politics.

Salon's full coverage of the race is here.

Rudy, Palin endorse controversial N.C. Republican

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:39:00 +0000

We predicted a while back that North Carolina congressional hopeful Ilario Pantano, if he beats incumbent Rep. Mike McIntryre on Tuesday, will become an instant star on the right-wing of the national GOP. Now it seems that Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani smell a winner in Pantano, too.

Both potential 2010 presidential hopefuls have in the last week endorsed Pantano, who is best known for a 2004 episode in which he killed two unarmed Iraqi prisoners (charges were later brought and dropped). He has also embraced the endorsement of anti-Muslim blogger Pamela Geller.

Palin praised Pantano in a Facebook note Tuesday:

Ilario Pantano is another dedicated patriot running for Congress this year. Ilario first swore an oath to defend the Constitution as a 17-year-old Marine. Today, he needs your help to bring common sense back to Washington. ... We can win this seat and send a decorated Marine to Congress who will be a strong voice for veterans and active-duty military.

Candidate who shot Iraqis brags about gun skills

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:37:00 +0000

North Carolina Republican House candidate Ilario Pantano isn't the first politician to hold a fundraiser at a gun range. But he probably is the first who became famous for shooting two unarmed Iraqi prisoners at close range up to 60 times with an assault rifle.

We've written previously about how Pantano's controversial past as a Marine in Iraq has largely been ignored by his opponent, incumbent Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.). But Pantano's recent announcement (via Yuna Shin) that he's holding a fundraiser at a shooting range -- where supporters are promised a chance to "see if you have what it takes to outshoot Ilario Pantano" -- underscores the extent to which the Iraq killings are a nonissue. Pantano actually seems to be comfortable calling attention to the episode.

GOP candidate warns of “1,000 Pearl Harbors”

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:05:00 +0000

In a new interview, GOP congressional candidate Ilario Pantano (whose candidacy -- and controversial past in Iraq -- we've been following) talks of his fears of the Chinese launching an attack equivalent to "1,000 Pearl Harbors" from Cuba, in what he calls a "second Cuban missile crisis" or "CMC2".

Wired's Danger Room blog quizzed Pantano, who is in a tight race in North Carolina's seventh district and hopes to sit on the House Armed Services Committee if elected, on his views about China, Iraq, and Islam.

On China, he thinks that the U.S. should use Afghanistan's mineral wealth to fund an "exploration race" with China (in space and in the ocean). He in fact wrote a policy paper on the Cuba-China threat titled, "The Cuban Piece in China’s Puzzle: The Second Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC2)."

GOP House hopeful attacked on Iraq killings

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:30:00 +0000

It looks like someone down in North Carolina is finally attacking Republican House candidate and ex-Marine Ilario Pantano over an episode in Iraq in which he killed two unarmed prisoners.

In a report being circulated by the Pantano campaign, a state GOP official alleges that voters in the 7th Congressional District have been getting a push poll in which they are told about the murder charges brought against Pantano in 2005 -- which were ultimately dropped.

As we've detailed, Pantano in 2004 shot two unarmed Iraqi prisoners up to 60 times and then placed a sign bearing a Marine slogan next to their bodies. After a hearing on murder charges, military officials agreed with Pantano's version of events, in which the two men made a hostile move toward him.

Docs detail murder case against GOP House hopeful

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Last month we told you about Iraq War vet Ilario Pantano, a Republican congressional hopeful who has a real shot at taking out incumbent Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC). In Iraq in 2004 Pantano shot two unarmed Iraqi prisoners, unloading up to 60 rounds, and then placed a sign next to their bodies with a Marine slogan, "No better friend, no worse enemy."

Charges of premeditated murder against Pantano were aired in 2005 in an Article 32 hearing, which helps determine whether there is enough evidence to go forward to a court martial. The military ultimately agreed with Pantano's version of events, in which the two Iraqi men made a threatening movement toward him, and decided to drop the charges. Officials also opted not to subject Pantano to nonjudicial punishment for desecrating the bodies of the two men (by reloading his rifle and emptying another magazine into the men after they were already dead).

From accused murderer to member of Congress?

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:01:00 +0000

In a race that has largely been flying under the national radar, a former Marine who killed two unarmed Iraqi prisoners in 2004 and who has made the threat of Islam and the "ground zero mosque" centerpieces of his campaign has a real shot at being elected to Congress.

Republican Ilario Pantano, 39, is taking on incumbent Mike McIntyre, a seven-term conservative Democrat, in North Carolina's 7th District, which takes in the state's southeast corner. If Pantano wins, he would surely be one of the most compelling -- and right-wing -- members of Congress. He told Salon in an interview Friday, for example, that he welcomes the endorsement of the far-right blogger and anti-Islam activist Pamela Geller.

Though there haven't been recent polls on the race, two local political analysts told Salon that Pantano has a real shot, and the National Republican Congressional Committee recently started buying ads in the race after naming Pantano one of its top-tier "Young Guns." While McIntyre has represented it since 1997, the 7th District actually voted for John McCain by 5 points in 2008.