Rep. Tim Murphy

Rep. Melissa Hart

An unknown group has targeted Republican members of Congress with telephone barrages trying to tie them to the controversy surrounding the indictment of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

In Western Pennsylvania, residents of Rep. Melissa Hart's 4th Congressional District and Rep. Tim Murphy's 18th District have received the automated calls, which urge them to call their representative's office to protest their ties to Mr. DeLay and demand that they return campaign contributions they received from his political action committee.

The source of the calls is something of a puzzle. The recorded voice states that it represents "the Pennsylvania chapter of We the People," but neither phone nor Internet directories list such an organization. A spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said she had heard reports of the calls but that her group had nothing to do with them.

"No one around here knows who they are," said Adrienne Elrod. "That seems to be the question of the week."

Similar calls have been reported in a Republican district at the other end of the state, represented by Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Chester. The National Review Online, a conservative Web site, has reported similar calls from previously unknown groups in another 16 districts in eight states.

A spokesman for Mr. Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, said that the effect of the calls had been felt in the congressman's district office, but not in overwhelming numbers.

Susan Mosychuk, Mr. Murphy's chief of staff, said there had not been a flood of calls. "Unfortunately, some people have been confused by the calls and they think they're coming from our office."

Ms. Mosychuk explained that the calls had somehow been manipulated so the phone number for Mr. Murphy's district office, rather than the actual caller, shows up on the caller ID of those on the receiving end.

"This is a national campaign. It's going into districts all over the country. It really is a mystery," she said.

Ms. Mosychuk said that the calls were apparently being targeted at any Republican incumbent who had received money from Mr. DeLay's federal political action committee. She emphasized that a 2002 contribution Mr. Murphy had received from Mr. DeLay's federal PAC had no relation to the state political action committee that is at the center of the Texas charges.

Angelo Terrana, Hart's spokesman, dismissed the likely impact of the calls. He noted that Ms. Hart, R-Bradford Woods, a member of the House Ethics panel, had issued a statement after Mr. DeLay's indictment last week, saying in part, "The best possible result for this indictment is to expose the truth, to protect the integrity of the United States Congress and maintain the bond of trust between the American people and their elected officials. These are very serious changes and we should allow the legal process to work."

The ethics panel could be called on to consider the same issues of money laundering and conspiracy now before the Texas courts.

Ms. Hart and Mr. Murphy each represent districts that have Democratic registration edges but have given voting majorities to Republican candidates over most of the past decade.

Two Democrats, businesswoman Georgia Berner and Jason Altmire, a former lobbyist for UPMC, are vying for the opportunity to challenge Ms. Hart next year.

The Democratic picture in the neighboring 18th District is murkier. Democratic leaders had hoped that former state treasurer Barbara Hafer would enter the race against Mr. Murphy. Her decision not to run has left the party searching for a high-profile challenger for the Upper St. Clair Republican.

Tom Kovach, of Peters, a former unsuccessful candidate for the state Legislature, has said that he will enter the Democratic primary. George Matta, the Allegheny County clerk of courts, is considering the race, but he said last week that he also is weighing a primary challenge to state Rep. Mark Gergely for his Mon Valley House seat.