The Ethically Challenged Tom Delay

When we last left our family values heroes, the Right Wing Republicans,they were meeting in Congress under emergency circumstances to try and override the entire judicial system in order to shove a feeding tube back into the stomach of a brain-damaged bulimic woman in order to user her as a political football.

Spearheading that effort is a foul-smelling, greasy-hair Republican from Texas who pulled the plug on his own father only 1.5 decades before taking on this latest fight. While Tom "ChickenShit" Delay might have ducked into the shadows after his extreme hypocrisy was realized by anyone with a brain, he actually has a much bigger problem on his hands that he's really not able to dodge: numerous ethics violations.

Ethics violations from this Jesus loving, family values Republican in lockstep with our golden-boy president? Say it ain't so! It turns out our buddy Tom doesn't just have a few issues he needs to try to hide from you, me, and the good people of Texas - he has several, and I invite you all to find a good seat, get some popcorn ready, sit back, and relax while this hilarious American political story unfolds. This ought to be interesting.

Recently the GOP agreed to investigate their own budding star, and while that sounds like something partisan as the 9/11 panel, think about the fact that Delay has already received and unheard of four admonishments by unanimous votes of the bipartisan House Ethics Committee. He's on a roll!

Each day as you read the headlines on CNN.com, MSNBC.com, or other corporate news outlets that underreport everything except Martha Stuart's prison release, you will see additional corrupt actions by our ethically challenged House leader - the title of which again underscores the reality that this guy isn't just another white Republican face in the crowd - he holds an extremely powerful figure of authority and voices the talking points of his infinitely corrupt party by designation. Along with Bush, Bill Frist, and other recognizable faces, Tom is their leader.

There have been so many violations, it's really getting difficult to keep up. Therefore, allow me to outline for you just a small, documented part of Tom's behavior, which doesn't include the black jokes he tells on hole 14 at the all-White country club he receives a hero's welcome at daily.

Let's take a look at Tommy Boy's collection of admonishments (these are basically slaps on the wrist from the ethics committee telling him to knock it off):

• K Street Project (1999) – Admonished for threatening Electronic Industries Alliance for not hiring a Republican as its president. The Ethics Committee itself initiated this investigation. Source: “Ethics Panel Chastises DeLay For Threatening Trade Group,” The Washington Post, May 14, 1999
  
  
• Westar Energy (2004) – Admonished for creating the “appearance” that Westar Energy executives were provided special access at a West Virginia golf retreat as result of $25,000 in corporate contributions to Texans for a Republican Majority, a political group affiliated with DeLay. At the time of the retreat, the House was about to consider an energy bill that Westar hoped to influence. A complaint filed by former Rep. Chris Bell (D-TX) initiated this investigation. (Read more here) Source: Memorandum to Members of the House Ethics Committee
  
  
• Texas Redistricting (2004) – Delay used government resources for political purposes. Delay’s staff contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the 2003 Texas redistricting battle to obtain information from FAA databases on the whereabouts of Democratic Members of the Texas House who had fled Austin in a plane for the purpose of denying the House a quorum. This means, post 9/11, Delay used a federal aviation body to actually hunt down state legislators. Think of the accusations of not taking national security seriously, had this been a Democratic House member taking the same action. A complaint filed by Bell initiated this investigation. (Also found in the memo cited above). Source: Memorandum to Members of the House Ethics Committee
  
  
• Medicare Bill (2004) – This one is my favorite. Delay was admonished for offering to endorse House Member Nick Smith’s (R-MI) son, who would be running for Congress, on the House floor in exchange for Rep. Smith’s vote in favor of the Medicare/prescription drug bill. It was found that Smith was offered $100,000 in corporate contributions in exchange for his vote - and when Smith decided not to play along, he was threatened and taunted that his son would never win a congressional election. The Ethics Committee itself initiated this investigation. (Sound unbelievable? Read more here, here & here.) Source: Investigation of Certain Allegations Related to Voting on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
  
  
• Pending case: Illegal Campaign Contributions (2005) – The House Ethics Committee last year was asked to investigate Rep. DeLay for allegedly using his political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), to launder corporate money to Texas state campaigns in 2002, a violation of state law. The committee decided not to take action on the complaint until after Travis County (Austin), Texas District Attorney Ronnie Earle completes his investigation of TRMPAC activities and until indictments against DeLay associates in Texas are disposed of. Source: Memorandum to Members of the House Ethics Committee

But wait...there's more:

• Celebrations for Children (CFC) – This charity, which counted DeLay political operatives among its officers, planned to sell tee times to Long Island golf courses, as well as VIP tickets to Broadway plays, yacht cruises and other events that offered access to DeLay during the 2004 Republican convention in New York. The plan was an attempt to misuse the charity’s IRS tax-exempt status to circumvent the ban on raising soft money. After the charity’s plan drew unfavorable attention from the House Ethics Committee, the charity backed away from its convention plans. (Read more here) Source: “Charity Tied to DeLay Is Questioned; Group Asks Lawmakers To Demand Ethics Probe,” Washington Post, March 24, 2004
  
  
• Moscow Trip - A trip DeLay took in 1997 to Moscow may have been underwritten by business interests lobbying on behalf of the Russian government. The $57,238 cost of the trip was reportedly transferred from a mysterious company registered in the Bahamas, Chelsea Commercial Enterprises Ltd., to the nonprofit group, the National Center for Public Policy Research, which officially paid for the trip. On the trip, DeLay met with two registered lobbyists for Chelsea, including Jack Abramoff.Source: “A 3rd DeLay Trip Under Scrutiny; 1997 Russia Visit Reportedly Backed by Business Interests,” Washington Post, April 6, 2005.
  
  
• Legal Defense Fund Contributions – After Public Citizen complained about possible ethics violations, DeLay was forced to return contributions to his legal defense fund from registered lobbyists because House ethics rules explicitly prohibit such contributions. Link Source: “Gifts Broke Rules, DeLay Trustee Says,” The New York Times, December 8, 2004
  
  
• The South Korean Vacation - U.S. Exchange Council, a business-financed group created with the help of a lobbying firm headed by DeLay’s former chief of staff. The Council is a registered foreign agent, and House rules state: “a Member, officer or employee may not accept travel expenses from a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal.” (Read about it here)Source: “S. Korean Group Sponsored DeLay Trip; Visits May Have Broken House Rules,” The Washington Post, March 10, 2005

So what, praytell, do you have to say for yourself Thomas? Shhhh...let's listen:

"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 byspecial-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." --Tom Delay on the House Floor, 1995.

Well said. Now, if you agree with what Tommy says above, instead of ordering that Dominos pizza at 2:51am this Saturday night (maybe some projection happening here?) how about clicking here.