NationStates Jolt Archive

He has stepped down as Majority leader.

I haven't been following the story. Does this have to do with the Indian Casino thing or am I way off?

I haven't been following the story. Does this have to do with the Indian Casino thing or am I way off?
It was for "Conspiracy," so it probably is.

I think he embezzled campaign money by "hiring" his wife and daughter to his campaign staff and paying them exhorbitant amounts of money for it.

Good. Any time a crooked politician takes it in the shorts it's a good thing.

1 down and 483 to go... (I'm keeping Ron Paul.)

As a Democrat, I'm not sure I'm happy he stepped down. I think he was a GOP albatross.

Part of me keeps repeating "innocent until proven guilty" and part of me keeps repeating "Whoo hoo, whoo hoo." :D

I'm doing a happy dance and experiencing a brief moment of renewed belief in our legal system!

The charge is based on a violation of Texas political campaign law that amounts to money laundering. Political campaigns can't receive monies from corporations. DeLay's group, Texans for a Republican Majority, accepted money from corporations and then gave a donation to the Republican National Committee and stipulated which Texas State House candidate campaigns should get money and how much. He laundered money and he got caught and that's a good thing.

Of course, this is one of the many scandals swirling around his ethically challenged head.

As a Democrat, I'm not sure I'm happy he stepped down. I think he was a GOP albatross.

Part of me keeps repeating "innocent until proven guilty" and part of me keeps repeating "Whoo hoo, whoo hoo." :D

Well, to be fair, because of the potential charge and sentence, he doesn't really have a choice in the stepping down part.

The indictment is just the tip of the iceberg.

He's currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for several matters, and he has a bad track record there already.

Tom DeLay's record with the House Ethics Commitee:

1996 - Allegations Delay improperly linked campaign contributions to official actions and improper political favors for Rep. DeLay’s brother, a registered lobbyist. Charges dismissed, but private letter sent to DeLay and press release issued advising DeLay "not create the impression that he would consider an individual’s request for access or for official action based on campaign contributions."

2004 - Allegations by a Republican that DeLay engaged in threats and bribes in order to get votes on a Medicaid bill. By unanimous recommendation of the House Committee, Delay was admonished by the House.

2004 - Delay admonished -- again based on unanimous recommendation of the House Commitee -- for participation in and facilitation of an energy company fundraiser (created an appearance that donors were being provided special access) and intervention in a partisan conflict using the resources of a federal agency.

Here is further information on DeLay from a prior argument. I have not updated this information since its original posting a month or two ago:

Let's see:

The Westar Scandal:

In 2002, executives at Kansas energy company Westar wrote a memo outlining how they could purchase a "seat at the table" with $56,500 in contributions to political committees associated with Tom DeLay and the GOP. DeLay was later admonished by the GOP-controlled House Ethics Committee for creating the appearance of impropriety.

The Texas Redistricting Scandal

When DeLay and his fellow Republicans were redrawing the Congressional districts in Texas to push Democrats out of the House, he used the Federal Aviation Administration to try and track a plane containing Democratic state legislators. The GOP-controlled House Ethics Committee investigated DeLay's actions and once again admonished him.

The House Medicare Vote Bribery Scandal

Tom DeLay and the Republican leadership kept open the vote for the Medicare bill for three hours -- long past the 15 minutes specified in House procedures -- in order to pressure Republicans to vote for the bill. Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI) said GOP leaders offered "bribes and special deals," leading to an investigation by the GOP-controlled Ethics Committee, which admonished DeLay.

The K Street Scandal

Tom DeLay has pushed lobbying firms to deny jobs to Democrats, and hire only Republicans, resulting in another Ethics Committee admonishment for inappropriately pushing a lobbying firm to hire a former GOP congressman. DeLay has pressured GOP lobbyists to make contributions to Republican candidates and the RNC.

The Ethics Committee Scandal

Knowing that he faced investigation for a growing pile of scandals, Tom DeLay and the GOP House leadership purged the Ethics Committee of Republicans -- including Chairman Joel Hefley (R-CO) -- who weren't willing to overlook charges against DeLay, replacing them with members loyal to the leadership. They then changed the Committee rules to make it more difficult to begin investigations. Democrats on the Committee have refused to take any action in protest until the rules are restored.

The Travel Scandal

An investigation by the Bush Justice Department showed that Tom DeLay accepted a trip financed by the Korea-U.S. Exchange Council, breaking House rules that prohibit accepting travel expenses from "a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal."

The TRMPAC Scandal

In Texas, it's illegal for corporations to make donations to fund political campaigns. So Tom DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee (TRMPAC) took $190,000 in corporate contributions and funneled them to the RNC, which then donated exactly $190,000 to TRMPAC-supported candidates. DeLay and TRMPAC are currently under investigation by a grand jury.

The Family Payoff Scandal

Since 2001, Tom DeLay's political action committees and campaigns have funneled more than $500,000 to his wife and daughter since 2001.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/politics/06delay.html

The Travel Scandal II

Tom DeLay participated in a $70,000 expenses-paid trip to London and Scotland in 2000 that sources said was indirectly financed in part by an Indian tribe and gambling services company lobbying Congress.

Tom DeLay's airfaire for thetrip to England and Scotland was paid for by lobbyist Jack Abramoff's credit card, and other expenses, including food, phone calls, and golf was charged on another lobbyist's credit card. That's in direct violation of House ethics rules that prohibit registered lobbyists for paying for expenses for members.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12416-2005Apr23.html

The Travel Scandal III

Tom DeLay claims that a 1997 trip to Moscow (where he met with the Russian Prime Minister) was arranged and paid for by a nonprofit public policy organization. But people who knew about the arrangements claim that the trip was actually arranged by lobbyists and funded by a mysterious company registered in the Bahamas that may have served as a front for Russian companies with ties to Russian security forces.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28319-2005Apr5.html

The Skybox Scandal

Tom DeLay invited donors to share a skybox with him at a Three Tenors concert, a skybox paid for by super lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is currently under investigation by the Senate. Just two months after the concert, DeLay voted against gambling legislation that Abramoff was lobbying against. The skybox tickets were worth thousands of dollars, and DeLay never reported the gift.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050420/ap_on_go_co/delay_skybox_3

"The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know... I say the best disinfectant is full disclosure, not isolation."

-- Tom DeLay, 11/16/95

Further evidence:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050428/NEWS06/504280465/1012
http://campaignmoney.org/delay/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/30/AR2005043000783.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-ethics29apr29,1,2140990.story?coll=la-headlines-politics&ctrack=2&cset=true
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3159600
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678234.shtml
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7670799/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7446492/site/newsweek/
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2004/11/10_403.html

I could go on and on and on ... but I think this proves the point.

That an GOP-controlled Ethics Committee with a majority hand-picked by DeLay -- several of whom have contributed to his defense fund and most of whom have received money from DeLay's PACs -- have repeatedly admonished him and have launched several investigations speaks eloquently about the substance of the charges against DeLay.

/snip/

Wow, what a fool.

As a Democrat, I'm not sure I'm happy he stepped down. I think he was a GOP albatross.

if the democratic party was at all an effective political machine, they'd easily be able to hang the republicans out to dry with just one of the major scandals or illegal actions the gop has gotten caught with in the past few years. it's kind of sad really. and almost like they are just daring somebody to call them on something to see how far they can push.

if the democratic party was at all an effective political machine, they'd easily be able to hang the republicans out to dry with just one of the major scandals or illegal actions the gop has gotten caught with in the past few years. it's kind of sad really. and almost like they are just daring somebody to call them on something to see how far they can push.
Ditto the Rupublicans - which just shows how entrenched, entertwined and irrelevant the Republocrats have become.

Unfortunately if the Libertarians were at all an effective Party we'd have indicted the lot of them by now. :(

Truthfully, libertarianism is looking more and more attractive by the second.

Truthfully, libertarianism is looking more and more attractive by the second.

True, but you'd never get anywhere. Our best hope is for the Democratic Party right now. . . . not very inspiring, but it inspires nonetheless.

True, but you'd never get anywhere. Our best hope is for the Democratic Party right now. . . . not very inspiring, but it inspires nonetheless.

Sigh, true, but I wish I could actually work/vote FOR something rather than simply AGAINST something else.

As a Texan who was boned by Delay's gerrymandering, I could not be more thrilled.

It's about goddamn time Delay got called on his poor choices.

It's about goddamn time Delay got called on his poor choices.
It's hard to fathom why such a "player" was ever elected, much less chosen as Majority Leader. Sigh.

If the Republicans continue to do things that get them dinged in the press and with the general public, there won't be enough people voting for them to elect a Republican as Dog Catcher in Podunk.

To be fair, we don't know whether he's guilty or not. On the other hand, where there's that much smoke there must be a little fire...

I'm glad to see these guys charged periodically, it helps keep the whole bunch honest - both parties. Wish they were investigated more frequently, though.