DeLay to Be Subject of Ethics Complaint

[benburch]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1803&ncid=703&e=5&u=/washpost/20040615/pl_washpost/a41568_2004jun14

DeLay to Be Subject of Ethics Complaint

Tue Jun 15, 1:00 AM ET

By Charles Babington, Washington Post Staff Writer

A Democratic congressman plans to file a wide-ranging ethics complaint today against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex), shattering the remnants of a seven-year-old, unwritten ethics truce between the two parties and possibly nudging the House back toward a brand of political warfare that helped topple two speakers.

The complaint, which Rep. Chris Bell (D-Tex.) said he will send to the House ethics committee, accuses the House's second-ranking Republican of soliciting campaign contributions in return for legislative favors; laundering illegal campaign contributions through a Texas political action committee; and improperly involving a federal agency in a Texas partisan matter. The House's top two Democrats raised no objections when Bell told them he would file the complaint, according to Bell's office and party leadership aides.

A grand jury in Austin has been looking into the Texas PAC's activities, although DeLay's aides say there is no evidence he is a target of the probe. DeLay has denied wrongdoing in all the matters cited in Bell's complaint.

"These are warmed-over and factually deficient allegations from a bitter partisan on his way out of office," DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella said yesterday. "This election-year scorched-earth strategy is doomed to fail, as have all previous attempts of this cynical and sad sort that make a mockery of the process."

<SNIP>

[Fovea]

1. WTF is 'factually deficient' in a denial...

It is the hammer weasling.

[CBHagman]

2. I called Bell's office to thank him.

As soon as I heard this story on NPR this morning, I called up Chris Bell's office to give him the figurative thumbs-up. His staffer seemed appreciative of the support.

You know that the Insane GOP Posse is going to retaliate in some fashion. Well, ethically speaking, SOMETHING is going to be DeLay's downfall sooner or later. He can fight back, but judgment day is coming sooner or later.

[Mithras61]

3. Get real! DeLay is a WALKING ethics complaint!

This is the freak who founded a "children's charity" to provide parties & entertainment for big GOP donors at the GOP convention in NYC!

[0007]

4. When in are we gonna kill this cock-a-roach

I hope the House ethics committee can hold their fucking mud.

[Moderator]

5. duplicate

I'm restricting the DeLay ethics complaint threads to one per day. Today's thread will be this one:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=623183