http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/123004dnnatdelay.584cf.htmlWASHINGTON – House Speaker Dennis Hastert is leaning toward removing the House ethics committee chairman, who admonished House Majority Leader Tom DeLay this fall and has said he will treat Mr. DeLay like any other member, several Republican aides said this week.
Although Mr. Hastert, R-Ill., has not made a decision, leadership aides expect the chairman, Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., long at odds with party leaders because of his independence, to be replaced when Congress convenes next week.
The aides said a likely replacement is Rep. Lamar Smith, one of Mr. DeLay's fellow Texans, who held the job from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Smith wrote a check this year to Mr. DeLay's defense fund. Republicans are bracing for the possibility that Mr. DeLay, who is the chamber's second-ranking Republican and holds enormous sway over lawmakers, could be indicted by a Texas grand jury conducting a campaign finance investigation that the party contends is politically motivated.
The effort by Mr. DeLay and his allies to preserve his leadership post, even if he faces criminal charges, is one of the most sensitive issues facing Republicans as the new Congress begins. If Mr. Hefley is replaced by Mr. Smith, it is another signal by House leaders that they will stand by Mr. DeLay
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