Montana senator accused of plagiarism

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Sen. John Walsh remained steadfast Thursday amid an investigation into whether he plagiarized a research project required for a master's degree, winning fresh backing from fellow Democrats in Montana and the governor who appointed him to the Senate earlier this year.

The U.S. Army War College said in a statement late Thursday it will examine evidence that Walsh included both conclusions and verbatim passages from the writings of other scholars in his 2007 paper, known as a strategy research project. The college is in Carlisle, Pa.

"The Army War College initiated its own analysis of the paper and determined this morning that there was reasonable cause to refer the case to the US Army War College Academic Review Board," the statement said.

Walsh, the only senator who served in the Iraq war, is seeking election in a race that top Democratic strategists - prior to the plagiarism revelations - saw as an uphill battle and unlikely to provide one of the seats the party needs to hold onto its majority.

Earlier in the day, Walsh's campaign spokeswoman, Lauren Passalacqua, insisted her boss was staying in the race against Republican Rep. Steve Daines. He got the backing to do so from the state Democratic Party, whose spokesman, Bryan Watt, said Walsh "took responsibility" for his mistakes and the party looks forward "to standing and fighting with him."

Gov. Steve Bullock said he had no knowledge of the plagiarism when he appointed the former head of the Montana National Guard and the state's lieutenant governor to the Senate in February.

"Senator Walsh has a long history of fighting for Montanans, both at home and in combat," Bullock said. "He deserves respect for his courage on our behalf."

There is only a short time for Walsh, Bullock and their Democratic colleagues to decide whether the allegations are too toxic for Walsh to survive. A candidate has until Aug. 11 to withdraw from this year's contest, and the state party has until Aug. 20 to name a replacement candidate, said Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch.

If Walsh decides to drop out after the ballots are certified on Aug. 21, a new candidate can't be appointed and Walsh's name will stay on the ballot, she said.