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[Tommie Hu$tle]

Donations link DeLay, ethics panel
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — All five Republicans on the House ethics committee have financial links to Tom DeLay that could raise conflict-of-interest issues should the panel investigate the GOP majority leader.

Public records show DeLay's leadership political action committee (PAC) gave $15,000 to the campaign of Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Pa. — $10,000 in 2000 and $5,000 in 2002. Hart would chair a panel to investigate DeLay if the committee moves forward with a probe.

The same political committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, also has donated to the campaigns of ethics Chairman Doc Hastings of Washington, Judy Biggert of Illinois and Tom Cole of Oklahoma. They are among scores of Republicans DeLay has contributed to. Cole and the remaining committee Republican, Lamar Smith of Texas, contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund. (Related link: Donations from Americans for Republican Majority)

Hart said there is no appearance problem. "That's just normal" for leaders to contribute to campaigns, she said.

There is precedent for ethics panel members recusing themselves when such conflict issues arise. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., stepped aside in 2002 in the case of then-senator Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., accused of financial misconduct. Reid had given $500 to Torricelli's legal defense fund. "Recusal is pretty much an individual choice, if there is any possibility of a conflict of interest," said Donald Ritchie, a Senate historian.

Kenneth Gross, an attorney who has represented Democrats and Republicans on ethics issues, said the financial ties on the committee could be a problem. "I would advise the committee not to use a member who had received contributions from DeLay's leadership PAC to head the investigation," he said.

The ethics committee has admonished DeLay five times since 1997, more than any current member of Congress. He has come under renewed scrutiny for taking foreign trips that may have been paid for by lobbyists or foreign agents, which is prohibited.

A DeLay investigation cannot be launched because the committee hasn't been able to solve a dispute over its rules. Rep. Alan Mollohan and other Democrats refuse to adopt the rules, saying they are designed to protect DeLay and would allow either party to protect members by refusing to act on complaints.

The panel is the only House committee with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats: five each.

Seriously folks this is quite sad if he can slink away from this one. I mean Lott's troubles (yes I know House and Senate are two different creatures) was nothing. This is a real problem and yet the public doesn't seem to give a shit. This isn't a partisan issue this it an abuse of power and potential for corruption issue.

 

[Macam]

Just so we know where Bush stands on this, despite refusing to openly comment on it, the picture below says it all. While campaigning here in Galveston for his doomed Social Security plan he offers DeLay a free ride on Air Force One. Glad to see my tax dollars are further paying for this asshole to continue abusing the system. Which asshole I'm referring to, you decide.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Heh. Dubya's hanging out with one of the few Republicans in Washington with a lower approval rating than he has.

One thing about this trip I don't get, though. For the last few weeks, I assumed that the "hit" called out on DeLay came from the WH (and there is *definitely* an inside job going on, the kind of stuff that's been coming out on a steady, almost daily basis isn't the kind of stuff that just comes out on its own). If not Rove and the WH, then who? Jack Abramoff, looking for a juciy book deal now that his lobbying career is pretty much over? A House GOP conspiracy ring looking to unseat DeLay (and presumably his supporters, such as Roy Blunt)?

I don't really know. Someone in the GOP has it out for him, and is *extremely* well connected in the matter. I bet they know what Ronnie Earle is finding out from his singing canaries in the TRMPAC stuff too, and are planning to use that bombshell as an anvil for the hammer they are forging with this stuff.

All very fascinating. Not nearly as amusing as the radical breakoff Fristian stuff, but much more cloak-and-dagger. Will make a good movie.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

what's wrong with his arm? I remember in middle school some kids would do that to show that someone was acting like a retard...but who's the retard here?

 

[teiresias]

what's wrong with his arm? I remember in middle school some kids would do that to show that someone was acting like a retard...but who's the retard here?

Nah, he's just finishing putting the One Ring back in his inside coat pocket. You can't go flashing that thing around too much.

In other news though, apparently the GOP members of the committee are buckling and reversing the rule changes they enacted. Once they do that I don't see how the GOP members can get away with NOT voting for an investigation of Delay, even though all of them voting against it would still mean the investigation would go ahead.

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

I don't really know. Someone in the GOP has it out for him, and is *extremely* well connected in the matter. I bet they know what Ronnie Earle is finding out from his singing canaries in the TRMPAC stuff too, and are planning to use that bombshell as an anvil for the hammer they are forging with this stuff.

I don't know but whoever the motherfucker was gave DeLay one hell of a god damn rope to hang himself with.

But, if I was Bush I'd be protecting the motherfucker too. Let's be honest here you don't get things done in Texas unless DeLay has a hand in it.

 

[Apharmd Battler]

Wow!! Only in America. :lol