This GOP offer to "investigate" DeLay is a feint, not a blink

[Rose Siding]

Today they called a news conference, recycled last week's rejected offer and launched an effort to control the whole DeLay story. The offer is not what it appears.

If the Democrats had agreed, DeLay may well be the LAST Republican to EVER be investigated. The Ethics Committee rules are the ballgame.

As they stand now the committee, equally divided between parties, can only proceed with an investigation if a member from BOTH parties agrees to it. If not, a complaint will languish in committee and be DROPPED altogether after eight months.

The Dems want any complaint that lasts that long without attaining bipartisan support to trigger an investigation (that's how it was before last year's special DeLay changes)

The repubs aren't conceding anything with this new reframing of the issue- it isn't about JUST investigating DeLay right now. He's already tainted. That's no prize!


Democrats Reject Conditional Offer on DeLay Probe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives ethics committee rejected a conditional offer by Republicans on Wednesday to clear the way for another probe of Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who was admonished by the panel last year on three separate matters.

Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia said a Republican proposal to end a stalemate over the way investigations are conducted would undermine the ability of the panel to do its job.

"It would allow complaints to be dismissed without -- in some instances, perhaps not all -- without proper contemplation," Mollohan told a news conference.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=8244785&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

Hoyer responds...

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md.: "This proposal on the ethics process by the Republican leadership is a charade and an absolute nonstarter with Democrats, who reject it out of hand. It is a calculated attempt to divert attention from the fact that the Republican majority has neutered the ethics committee in the House by imposing partisan rules that hamstring any meaningful inquiry."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5973-2005Apr20.html

You can tell from the repub responses in that piece that they are all pretending like a brand new, magnanimous concession has been made. It's BUNK! It's manipulation and nothing more than a PR stunt!

[Catherine Vincent]

1. It looks one way in the heading but totally different meaning

in the body. These scumbags are doing everything to protect that roach!

[Rose Siding]

2. Yes and it's calculated to make DeLay appear to be a victim

...like the dems won't *allow* him to clear himself.

[maddezmom]

3. kick

[dbt]

4. Kick!

Back to the front page with this'n!

[annabanana]

5. the committee is stacked.. they'll want to rush to find no wrongdoing

Of course they want to move in a hurry. But I think he's so far gone that if they don't move against him it'll just throw their own corruption into high relief.

[Rose Siding]

6. LAT says new rules drop complaint after just 45 DAYS of inaction

snip>
The new rules include one requiring the automatic dismissal of a complaint if the committee failed to act on it 45 days after it was filed; another would require a majority vote to initiate investigations.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20050421/ts_latimes/gopsdelayinquiryofferrebuffed

I guess it was just the old rules that triggered an independent investigation if the committee didn't agree within eight months.