House Majority Leader DeLay Should Resign Leadership Over Ethical Lapses

[seemslikeadream]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 7, 2004
12:12 PM

CONTACT: Public Citizen
Frank Clemente [phone]
Craig Holman [phone]


WASHINGTON - October 7 - Public Citizen today calls upon Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) to resign his position as House Majority Leader following his third admonishment by the House ethics committee for failing to conduct official business in a forthright and ethical manner - two of these admonishments coming in the past week alone. Several other ethics complaints against DeLay are still pending before the House ethics committee, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Election Commission and an Austin, Texas, grand jury.

....

Public Citizen more than 15 months ago filed civil and criminal complaints against DeLay with both the House ethics committee and the DOJ regarding the Westar scandal. The DOJ complaint is still pending. In the complaints, internal e-mails among Westar executives suggested that DeLay and other House Republicans wanted a series of campaign contributions from the executives and the company itself so they could win "a seat at the table" to secure legislation that Westar favored. Central to this scheme was having Westar contribute in 2002 $25,000 to TRMPAC, DeLay's leadership political action committee, that he used to fund candidates for Texas state legislative offices. Westar executives gave an additional $2,400 directly to DeLay's campaign and contributed thousands of dollars more to, as e-mails document, "a group of candidates associated with Tom DeLay." The contributions were made and the favored legislation - an exemption for Kansas-based Westar from a regulation - was delivered in the energy bill by the legislators in conference committee with the Senate. The special interest provision was later removed after the company became the focus of a grand jury investigation into federal securities violations. The company's e-mails described why a Kansas company would give money to a Texas member of the House: "DeLay is the House Majority Leader. His agreement is necessary before the House Conferees can push the language we have in place in the House bill."

DeLay does not have the integrity to lead the House of Representatives. He has racked up an extraordinary number of admonishments for unethical behavior and is in the middle of ongoing civil and criminal investigations for corruption. Lately it seems that wherever there is a scandal involving money in politics, the trail leads to Tom DeLay.

Congress has been the subject of story after story about how it is too heavily influenced by those who donate to members' campaigns. Lawmakers must assure the American public that legislation cannot be bought by wealthy special interests. DeLay's reputation and behavior belie an image of honesty and integrity.

Congress and the Republican Party should end the taint of corruption that comes with having Tom DeLay as their leader, and Mr. DeLay should recognize the damage he has wrought to the institution and immediately resign his leadership post. If he does not respect the integrity of the House to step down on his own, his colleagues should force him to do so.

more
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1007-22.htm

[NC_Nurse]

1. What a beautiful dream that is...

ain't gona happen but I hope he does the perp walk someday.

He has not the grace to go quietly.

[clydefrand]

2. I think he shouldn't be allowed to step foot in the House again

Who remembers what happened to Dan Rostenkowski? Democrat--Chairman of Ways and Means Committe...

[schultzee]

3. Richard Morrison is the Democrat running against Delay the Pig

and I hope he wins.

[ismnotwasm]

4. Dang it! I miss-read the title

At first I thought it said "resigns" instead of "should resign". My heart gave a little leap, ah, well it was nice while it lasted..

[Lefty48197]

5. Judicial Watch said the same thing today:

http://www.judicialwatch.org/printer_3844.shtml

House Majority Leader Should Step Down Over Ethics Lapse, Says Judicial Watch

DeLay’s Actions On Medicare Vote ‘Inappropriate,’ ‘Unacceptable’


(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Judicial Watch, the conservative public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today called on Rep. Tom DeLay to step down as House Majority Leader in the wake of the bipartisan House Ethics Committee’s recent findings that he acted improperly in attempting to win a vote from Rep. Nick Smith in exchange for endorsing Smith’s son in a congressional primary. It is the second time that DeLay has been chastised by the ethics panel.

<snip>

“Frankly, the ethics report was too kind to Mr. DeLay and the other House members implicated in the controversy. Mr. DeLay’s actions in trying to trade a political endorsement for a vote were inappropriate and unacceptable, and given this grave ethical lapse, he should step down as Majority Leader. The Republican Party should not countenance its leadership violating House rules and standards of ethical behavior,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

[Momof1]

6. Write your representative, demand his ouster

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

[VegasWolf]

7. Saw the ahole all over the news tonight laughing and smirking

and calling the charges fictitious. Easy after not a single
repugnant would stand for no more than a bad conduct letter
in his jacket.


"Kerry has a 'chocolate chip' on his team", Limbaugh says
on his radio show after learning Jesse Jackson has joined the organization.

[NashVegas]

8. I Would Rather He Doesn't Resign

Just yet. Let it go to a full headline-worthy scandal first and do a perp-walk, thank you.