Tom DeLay in Deep DooDoo

[PatrickHenry]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/...l/index_np.html
or truthout http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/100504J.shtml

Back in 1996 DeLay got a walk in a fundraising scandal involving a front group known as Triad. That scandal cost a Texas businessman $400,000 in fines and resulted in an FBI investigation. But what the FBI turned up was never revealed because then-House Government Reform chairman Dan Burton, R-Ind., blocked attempts by the ranking Democrat on the Committee, Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to subpoena the FBI notes and files.

But ya see, if you are as determined a racketeer as ol' Tommy-boy, there are always more "deals" to stick yer greedy fat fingers into. And DeLay was wanting to redistrict Texas to benefit his party at home and in Washington, DC. so he corralled corporate sponsors that don't even do business in the Lone Star State. Because he's the House Majority Leader, corps. want his favor. With their money he managed his little guerilla political war. One problem:

It's against the law to donate or spend corporate money on political campaigns in Texas. When the Austin district attorney realized what was going on he began an investigation. As the second grand jury that looked at the case concluded its extended term in mid-September, he handed down his indictments.

Then there are his two close associates that are just now getting investigated for overcharging the Indians for lobbying services, while calling the native Americans pejorative names behind their backs.

Two weeks after DeLay's associates were indicted in Texas, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee began an investigation of two DeLay associates who billed six Indian tribes a staggering $66 million in lobbying fees, after promising tribal leaders that their proximity to DeLay equaled unparalleled influence in Washington.... Jack Abramoff, a member of DeLay's "kitchen cabinet," and DeLay's former press secretary Mike Scanlon billed their Indian clients twice as much as companies such as General Electric paid for outside lobbyists in the same time period. The tribes were paying the two Washington operatives - who in private e-mails referred to the Indians as "troglodytes," "monkeys" and "moronic" - to defend their casinos. Two U.S. attorneys in Washington and a federal grand jury are also looking into Abramoff and Scanlon, who are not only frequent fliers to gaming reservations around the country but also frequent contributors to Republican candidates and think tanks.

Will DeLay come out smelling like a rose, or will he get hit with the load like Biff in Back to the Future?

[bishop]

couldn't have happened to a more deserving s.o.b...

he reminds me of senator torricelli from jersey.. investigators were after him for years, but never got him. all the while, he continued lying, cheating, breaking the law.. greedy lil' piggy. seems that delay ain't much different.

[RickSp]

I think DeLay is more dangerous than Toricelli, "the Torch" as he was know. The Torch was a low life opportunist. Delay is certainly that but also has a huge constituency and considerable power. I can only hope justice is done and that he is taken down once and for all.

[Scribbler1]

Quote: PH "Will DeLay come out smelling like a rose, or will he get hit with the load like Biff in Back to the Future?"

I vote for the roses. For one thing, I figure the notreallyallthat "Liberal media" will give this scarcely a mention, which usually induces Alzheimers disease in the population and the whole thing will either be ignored or quickly forgotten.

For another thing, it seems like if you show strong support for Bush these days you get to wrap yourself in the same Teflon robe the President wears. He could be caught on film dumping Anthrax into the food at a homeless shelter and still be called a patriotic american.

When it comes to Teflon, by comparison Ronald Reagan appears to have been covered in super glue compared to the non-stick qualities Bush has had with a distressingly large number of people.

[bishop]

delay is a rabid bible thumper, so that right there makes him more dangerous in my eyes.

he might, and probably will, escape this round of inquiry. but, that doesn't mean that investigators will simply forget about him. just like any mobster, he's going to make a mistake one day and then it'll all be over for him.

[PatrickHenry]

He can't quite shake it yet: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6652757/site/newsweek

Faced with mounting lawyers' bills to fend off ethics complaints and a grand-jury probe in Texas, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is increasing efforts to raise money for his legal-defense fund. But DeLay, who has raked in more than $400,000 for the fund since last July, could face new questions over how he's raised the cash in the past. A study to be released this week by Public Citizen, a watchdog group frequently critical of DeLay, finds the Texas congressman has received seven checks for the defense fund totaling $9,500 from lobbyists or members of law firms registered to lobby the Congress. House rules in effect since 1996 prohibit members from accepting contributions for legal-defense funds from lobbyists. "It's a clear-cut violation of House rules," says Conor Kenny of Public Citizen. Among the contributions at issue: a $1,000 check in 2001 from superlobbyist Vin Weber, whose clients included Microsoft and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers; and $2,500 that same year from Locke Liddell & Sapp, the Texas law firm formerly headed by Harriet Miers (who was recently named White House counsel), which was then representing Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Weber told NEWSWEEK he didn't recall the contribution and wasn't aware of the rule. "The unfortunate thing is we all give so much money and we lose track of it," he said. A Locke Liddell partner also said the firm didn't know about the House rule. In the past DeLay has been defiant when questioned about his fund-raising, calling his critics "partisan stalkers." But contacted by NEWSWEEK, Brent Perry, the trustee of DeLay's legal fund, said the checks from Weber and Locke Liddell would be returned promptly; some of the other checks cited by Public Citizen would not because they were signed by wives of the lobbyists rather than the lobbyists themselves. "Obviously we take great care in making sure that we abide by the rules," said DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella. That is unlikely to end the scrutiny, though. The Public Citizen study will also highlight $23,000 in legal-defense-fund donations from two companies, Reliant Energy and Bacardi USA (the rum firm), that are under scrutiny in the ongoing probe into allegedly illicit fund-raising by a DeLay political committee in Texas. In addition, the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader last week reported that, while attending a fund-raiser for DeLay's legal fund last August, the head of a private prison firm handed DeLay a $100,000 check for a foundation he operates for abused children. Critics say donors use the foundation to curry favor; spokesman Grella said DeLay "did nothing wrong" in taking the check.

I think he has already made his fatal mistakes, bishop. We will see if the hounds from the Texas attorney general and other investigators can be held at bay by DeLay's vaunted power or if his blood is already dripping and they are closing in for the kill...

[bishop]

well, back in jersey, the dems didn't choose to risk their own political careers by sticking up for toricelli - and he was far less corrupt than delay. still, he managed to survive for years. with all the money delay's received, it's clear that he can hang this up in litigation until the cows come home. if receiving money from lobbyists was an illegal action, then how is he still in power? gotta be thanks to his incessant litigation funds.

i haven't heard sustained calls for him to step down as majority leader from the democrats though - why they aren't pushing the issue is beyond me.

[Lou Minotti]

Interesting no one has posted in his defense. You would think this guy could keep a lower profile. In all honesty, it seems like not a whole lot can be done about these people. They always seem to be able to sliver out of reach.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: Lou Minotti Interesting no one has posted in his defense. You would think this guy could keep a lower profile. In all honesty, it seems like not a whole lot can be done about these people. They always seem to be able to sliver out of reach.

No one has defende him so far? I don't know...rmnunez hasn't been here yet! :)

Seriously, I believe it has a lot to do with timing. It seems to me that most Americans have such a short attention span that if someone isn't accused, tried, convicted and hung in one month they lose focus and move on to the next newest flavor.
In Delay's case I think it is NOT the people demanding something be done it's more the government and the media actually doing something.

I still don't think it's going to go anywhere though.

[PatrickHenry]

It looks like all the Republicans are gonna rally to Mr. DeLay.

The ethics committee is considering post facto changes to the rules, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/30/politics/30delay.html to make it harder to start investigations of congressmen's integrity.

A House leadership aide said a package of rules changes to be presented to the House when Congress convenes on Tuesday could include a plan that would require a majority vote of the ethics panel to pursue a formal investigation. Now, a deadlock on the panel, which is evenly split between parties, keeps a case pending. The possible change, the aide said, would mean that a tie vote would effectively dismiss the case.

In addition, the GOP is thinking of replacing Mr. Hefley, the ethics committee chairman who didn't cover for Delay's wrongdoing.

And finally The Republicans in the Texas legislature want to take the authority to prosecute these matters away from the Travis County prosecutor (a Democrat) and give that authority to the GOP State Attorney General, as well as legitimizing what got Mr. DeLay on the wrong side of the Law...

"They are trying to put the genie back in the bottle, and it is all seemingly to protect one man," said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch and part of a coalition pressing for stronger ethics rules. Mr. Fitton and others said an effort to oust Mr. Hefley would smack of retaliation. "The removal of Representative Hefley would constitute a declaration of war against ethics in the House," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that a possible replacement for Mr. Hefley would be Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas and a former member of the panel. Mr. Smith this year contributed $5,000 from his campaign account to Mr. DeLay's legal defense. Aides said Mr. Smith had not been approached about the post. In Texas, no bills have been introduced regarding the jurisdictional issues or campaign contributions. But Andrew Taylor, a prominent Republican lawyer in Austin, recently told The Austin American-Statesman that he expected to be lobbying to legalize corporate donations when the Legislature returns in January. And Texas Republicans have made it clear that they want to transfer the authority for prosecuting the case away from Ronnie Earle, the Travis County district attorney, and give it to Greg Abbott, the state attorney general. Earlier this year, the executive committee of the Republican Party of Texas endorsed transferring state money for the public integrity unit from the Travis County district attorney to the state attorney general. The unit was moved to the county office by the State Legislature, not the State Constitution, so the Legislature can return it, said Sherry Sylvester, a spokeswoman for the Texas Republican Party. Ms. Sylvester said that allowing the local district attorney's office to prosecute state cases because it covered the state capital is analogous to giving a District of Columbia district attorney the power to prosecute members of Congress.

[RickSp]

Official Republican policy now appears to be DeLay, deny, & deceive.

[Matt W]

*budumtish*

Give that man a drumkit!

[Catch 22]

hehe Delay's been in hot water for a couple of months now, and a number of his top aids have been tried and convicted. I get the feeling that the DA on this case isn't about to let go they're digging in for the long haul and they're determined to get a kill. In most cases with the assistant’s convictions this would already be a forgone conclusion Delay’s just buying time with his money. Nonetheless I get the feeling the money is starting to loose patience, and is looking for another greasy bastard to make majority leader.

[JohnLockeRocks]

My, I didn't know DeLay was so well-known nationally. DeLay is all about bigger freeways for the suburban twits here in Houston, but vehemently opposed the city's light rail plan, saying "it's the same thing Calgary, AB did when I was a kid," or somesuch. He actually had to fight to keep his seat this past election. Here's hoping for 2006...

[Catch 22]

Tom delay is probably the third most powerful man in America behind bush and cheney. That guy has the house of reps locked down so tight Bush can ram just about any bill through. And this isn’t even with party discipline they have in Europe.

[Spartacus]

They do not call DeLay "The Hammer" for nothing. This guy knows how to twist GOP arms into pretzles to make sure he gets his way. When the House leadership is considering changing the Ethics Rules and the Chairman of the Committee just to save DeLay's bacon, this guy has some power. What is going to bring him down is the lawsuit over violating the Texas constitution concerning gifts/contributions from corporations. The GOP is running so scared they are even trying to take away jurisdiction from the DA who first brought the case because he is a Democrat.

[JohnLockeRocks]

After I read some of the responses here I decided to do a little reading about DeLay. And there I was thinking he was just a representative from Sugar Land! It amazes me to think that, instead of gunning for his constitutents (which, admittedly, are mostly suburban rightwingers as he is), he's just chasing after greater power for himself. Good luck to the Travis County prosecutor, Ronnie Earle!

You know, the only guy I know of who goes by "the Hammer" is a sleazy attorney on late-night TV. "This is Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer!" Wonder if that's where DeLay got the line?

[Sonart]

Quote by: PatrickHenry It looks like all the Republicans are gonna rally to Mr. DeLay.

There it is. Who's going to take DeLay down? The Republican Congress? I don't think so.

.

[bishop]

i learned a little tid bit the other day.. the republicans want to change their rules (or have they already?) so that the speaker of the house can remain in that position even if there's an outstanding indictment against them. this rule change is undeniably intended for tommy's benefit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Nov16.html

[PatrickHenry]

Also see my post #10 above...