Note to Tom DeLay: If it takes 2540 words to explain why you didn’t do anything wrong, you’ve probably done something wrong.
UPDATE: Full rebuttal in today’s Progress Report.
Dear Friends and Supporters -
I want to thank all of you for your continued assistance and words of encouragement – your thoughts, prayers, and advice have been of great value to me as we continue to work on furthering the ideals of lowering taxes for all Americans, strengthening our homeland security, winning the war on terror, and moving our country’s economy forward.
It should come as no surprise that following the 2004 election-year attacks on the President that the Democrats, their syndicate of third party organizations (Common Cause, Public Citizen, Move-On, etc.) and the legion of Democrat-friendly press would turn their attention to trying to retake Congress. It is abundantly clear that their fundamental strategy revolves around attacking me and working to tear down Republican leadership.
Many of you have requested a “fact versus fiction briefing document” that can be shared via e-mail or in clubs, organizations, or groups you are affiliated with. It would be quite easy to write an entire book about how Democrats, and many in the press, have chosen to selectively report and strategically ignore many FACTS about me and my work as Congressman for the 22nd District.
Rather than run the laundry list of unfounded attacks, I thought it would be helpful to briefly outline some recent issues and provide you with information that tells the real story. I think when you see the consistent pattern of information that has been largely ignored or unreported it will help you dispel any other unsubstantiated allegations.
I am grateful to you and voters of the 22nd Congressional District for allowing me an opportunity to continue to serve you in Congress. The success we have had in electing other Republicans and passing legislation that is anathema to the 40 years Democrats controlled Congress is the main reason why these attacks are occurring.
As always, I thank you for your support, welcome your advice, and look forward to seeing you soon. Take care and God Bless.
Sincerely
Tom DeLay
WHAT THE PRESS ISN’T TELLING YOU:
Fact versus Fiction: The Left-wing “Case” Against Tom DeLay
Overview:
Tom DeLay Has Never Been Found in Violation of Any Law by Anyone
- Tom DeLay does not stand accused of any violation of any law or rule in any forum and has never been found to have violated any law or rule by anyone.
- The Ethics Committee disposed of all matters but one (deferred at DeLay’s request)without sanction.
- Partisan DA Ronnie Earle has never even contacted Tom DeLay to appear as a witness.
Democrats and their Outside Front Groups are Colluding to Target DeLay
- Democrats have made clear that their only agenda is the politics of personal destruction, and the criminalization of politics.
- They hate Ronald Reagan conservatives like DeLay and they hate that he is an effective leader who succeeds in passing the Republican agenda.
- This demonization of DeLay is not new: in the months leading up to the 2000 general election, the DCCC filed a racketeering lawsuit against DeLay, which was ultimately dismissed with prejudice by a federal judge.
- The Democrats’ plan, and their collusion with Democrat front groups, is well known: “Breaking the ethics truce has been a high priority of good-government groups such as CREW, Public Citizen, Public Campaign, Common Cause, the Campaign Legal Center and Judicial Watch. The groups convened a meeting a month ago where they discussed strategy and divvied up tasks aimed at breaking the truce. For example, Mary Boyle of Common Cause was tasked with researching how the House had policed recent allegations of misconduct. Craig Holman of Public Citizen accepted the challenge of finding a lawmaker to file a complaint against DeLay.” (The Hill, June 15, 2004, p. 1)
- So yet again another Democrat leader and campaign chair have embarked on a similar campaign to demonize DeLay to distract the voters from the fact they have no agenda to offer for America. DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel has announced that he intends to make ethical charges the touchstone of campaigns and would use several high-profile local races to create a national image of corruption in the GOP-controlled House.
The Ethics Committee Did Not Find that Tom DeLay Has Violated Any Rule
“The Bell Complaint”
The Committee dismissed two of the allegations Bell made against DeLay and deferred the third at his request.
- Dismissed Count I (Westar): “The information we obtained indicates that (1) neither Representative DeLay nor anyone acting on his behalf improperly solicited contributions from Westar, and (2) Representative DeLay took no action with regard to Westar that would constitute an impermissible special favor.” (Memo of Chairman Hefley, p. 2).
- Dismissed Count III (DOJ/FAA Contacts on TX Redistricting): “With regard to the (DeLay’s staff’s) contacts with the Justice Department, the information we have obtained indicates that they were not improper. Instead, they consisted of a straightforward inquiry on whether there was any legal basis for DOJ to intervene (in the matter of the absent Texas legislators).” (Memo of Chairman Hefley, p. 37).
- Deferred Count II (TRMPAC) (at DeLay’s request in accordance with Committee Rules when a matter is subject to regulatory or law enforcement review): “(W)hatever Representative DeLay’s role was in the TRMPAC activities challenged in Count II, his participation in those activities, if any, was not related to the discharge of his or her duties as a Member of the House.” (Memo of Chairman Hefley, p. 32).
“The Nick Smith Complaint”
Dismissed: “The issues raised by the conduct of the Majority Leader in this matter are novel in that conduct of this nature and the implications of such conduct have never before been addressed or resolved by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Indeed, the Majority Leader’s testimony indicates that he did not believe he acted improperly under House rules during his encounter with Representative Nick Smith. In addition, the Investigative Subcommittee believes that the relevant facts related to the Majority Leader’s conduct-described in detail in this Report – already have been fully developed. In the view of the Investigative Subcommittee, these factors mitigate against further investigation and proceedings in this matter.” (Oct. 4, 2004 Report, p. 43).
An “Admonishment” is Not a Sanction
- Members, the media, and outside parties spun the “admonishments” as a formal sanction when it clearly was not any sanction.
- Sanctions can only be levied after Informal Information Gathering, Investigative Subcommittee, Adjudicatory subcommittee, and Sanction Hearing.
- Sanctions include expulsion, censure, reprimand, fine, and denial of rights.
- The Bell complaint was dismissed and never even went to the Investigative stage.
What the Committee DID Say to Tom DeLay: Moderate Your Future Behavior
- The Committee sent him two letters containing informal warnings to be careful in the future for what it admitted were cases of first impression.
- The verb “admonished” was used and is now exploited to mean some sort of sanction.
The Only Person Found by the Committee to Have Violated the Rules was Chris Bell
- The Committee stated that Bell’s “complaint violated Committee Rule 15(a)(4) in a number of respects. Because you personally signed this complaint and transmitted it directly to the Committee under Committee Rule 14(a)(1), you are responsible for the contents of the complaint in their entirety, and thus you are responsible for these violations.” (Nov. 18, 2004 Letter of Hefley, p. 1)
- Bell’s complaint contained inflammatory language and exaggerated charges used for political advantage: “Indeed, it appears there is no purpose for including excessive or inflammatory language or exaggerated charges in a complaint except in an attempt to attract publicity and, hence, a political advantage. This improper political purpose was highlighted in this instance by the various efforts you undertook to promote your complaint publicly, by including such excessive or inflammatory language or exaggerated charges in press releases and other public statements.” (Nov. 18, 2004 Letter of Hefley, p. 1)
- It cannot be ignored that every one of the NINE counts of rules violations found by the Committee was raised by DeLay four months before the matter was disposed of. The actions of Bell, his staff, and a Democrat front group were contemptible of Congress. As the Ethics Committee stated, “it is highly improper, and a basis for the initiation of disciplinary action, for any House Member or staff person to attack the integrity of this Committee or any of its members.” (Nov. 18, 2004 Letter of Hefley, p. 1)
The House Voted to Reform the House Ethics Rules in Fairness to all Members
Changes to the Ethics Rules
- The Chris Bell matter, as well as the Nick Smith matter, exposed serious concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the ethics process, as well as the lack of adequate due process for subjects of ethics complaints.
- In the Nick Smith matter, several Members, including Reps. DeLay, Miller, Smith, Cunningham, and Dreier, were clearly denied due process and were never notified that they were targets of the investigation.
- The Chris Bell matter further exposed the lack of due process in ethics matters, and further revealed how outside parties could insert themselves in the House’s peer review system and exploit it for political purposes.
- The reformed rules allowed for Members to choose their own counsel, instill due process for Members (by allowing Members to publicly plead their case), and to restore the presumption of innocence by requiring a majority vote to open an investigation.
Changes to the Conference Rule Were Not Driven by Tom DeLay, but Tom DeLay did Personally Make the Request to Reinstate the Old Rule
- The Conference Rule was changed last Congress in fairness to the Members who become the political targets of partisan prosecutors and Democrat-front groups. Democrats, be they Ronnie Earle or Chris Bell, should not determine who leads House Republicans.
- Tom DeLay asked the Conference to reinstate the old rule at the beginning of this Congress after he felt the Democrats – who have never had any rule – were exploiting the reform for political purposes. DeLay said that while he saw the merit in the rule changed, he did not want the Democrats to use it as a distraction from the Republican agenda.
Changes to the Make Up of the Ethics Committee Were in the Normal Course of House Business
- Chairman Hefley was not “sacked” by leadership. Hefley was term limited and would have needed a waiver from the Speaker to remain as Chairman, which is rarely done.
- “GOP aides explained that Hefley had reached his term limit on the committee. Hastert can grant waivers at his discretion — as he did for Rules Chairman Dreier — but opted against it. ‘The speaker said that two terms is more than any one member should have to serve on that committee,’ said a GOP leadership aide. Hefley has served on the committee since 1997…” (Susan Davis, “Hastings Replaces Hefley At Ethics As GOP Restocks Panel,” CongressDaily, February 2, 2005)
- The new Chairman, Doc Hastings, was the next senior Member in line for the gavel.
- The Democrats refuse to let the Committee meet because they are still trying to politicize the ethics process and block the Committee from doing its work.
The Texas Matters Are About Politics, Not DeLay
Texas Indictments: A Political D.A.’s Attempt to Criminalize Politics
- The Austin District Attorney, Ronnie Earle, is a partisan Democrat who tries to undo with a grand jury what he can’t stop at the ballot box. Under a peculiar Texas law, he has statewide jurisdiction over election law issues.
- The indictment of three TRMPAC figures and eight corporate donors was a political dirty trick sprung 40 days before an election.
- Since the 2002 elections, Earle has gone after people and entities he determined were involved in helping Republicans win elections in Texas.
- Earle has a history of targeting political enemies including Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, whose case was dropped due to a lack of evidence. Texas has only recently become a Republican state, so Earle’s claim that he prosecuted Democrats too is a red herring.
- The indictments are based on an extreme interpretation of a highly ambiguous law being misused by 1) a highly partisan prosecutor; 2) who is soon to be on his fifth grand jury; 3) in this two-year investigative payback for Republicans winning in Texas.
- Earle’s investigation is about whether the Texas Election Code was violated through corporate fundraising. But Texas law allows corporate money to be raised for indirect political activity (as opposed to donations to candidates), which is what TRMPAC did.
The Texas Civil Trials are “Sour Grape” Attempts by Failed Candidates to Get Rich Quick and Use the Legal System to Undue the Will of the People.
- The New York Times wrote, “The trial testimony has not tied Mr. DeLay to any illegality or suggested that he was involved in the details of the fund-raising efforts by the political action committee.” (Phil Shenon, “Testimony at Texas Trial Focuses on Use of Donations,” New York Times, March 3, 2005)
- The Washington Post wrote, “…during a related civil trial in Austin last week, DeLay’s name repeatedly came up, but no evidence was presented that the veteran GOP leader had done anything wrong. Certainly there was little said in testimony during last week’s civil trial that could harm him… The trial opened Monday with DeLay’s name front and center. But by the close of the trial on Friday, the testimony presented showed DeLay’s direct role in TRMPAC’s successful bid to win the Republican takeover of the Texas House was mostly that of a figurehead and a casual adviser early on.” (Mike Allen and Sylvia Moreno, “Prosecutor Balks When Asked If DeLay Is Target of Texas Probe,” Washington Post, March 6, 2005)
No Member Should be Responsible for Deceptive Behavior by Outside Organizations
The trip DeLay to Russia in 1997 and the United Kingdom in 2000 were proper.
- The National Center for Public Policy Research funded an educational trip in to the United Kingdom to meet with Conservative leaders in England and Scotland.
- The Center invited DeLay on these trips, organized them, paid for them, and reported the costs to him (which he reported on both his 30 day travel disclosures and his Annual Financial Disclosures).
- During the Russia trip, he met with religious leaders and government officials. During the UK trip, he met with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the trade minister, the U.S. Ambassador, and members of the Scottish Conservative Caucus.
- If the sponsor of a trip ultimately obtains funding for a trip, a Member is not and should not be responsible for that information.
The trip DeLay took to Korea in 2001 was properly vetted and undertaken.
- DeLay and two other Members were invited in 2001 to Korea by a charity.
- At the time the invitation was extended, KORUSEC was not registered as a foreign agent. Two days before the trip, the group registered as a foreign agent but did not notify DeLay or any other Member of Congress.
- Since 2001, numerous Members on both sides of the aisle have taken similar trips sponsored by KORUSEC, including a staffer for Nancy Pelosi.
Holy cow! That’s a lot of denyin’! Methinks the lady doth protest too much!
April 19th, 2005 at 8:43 am“Note to Tom DeLay: If it takes 2540 words to explain why you didn’t do anything wrong, you’ve probably done something wrong.”
Holy Cow! Is that how democrats judge people? Do democrats measure the truth by the number of words one uses?
Please tell me how many words the democrats have used to attack Tom Delay. I believe his rebuttal is infinitesimally small compared to all the barnyard fetilizer being shoveled by democrats.
Please put aside your hatred and anger and work for the citizens you represent.
April 19th, 2005 at 9:51 amMr. Delay could said it all in 25 word, and it still wouldn’t excuse his bad judgement, and lack of any thought for the welfare of the wking class citizens in this country, or anyother country come to think of it , blocking a bill to end child labor , and prostitution. sound like a guy with all of us in mind “huh”. i hope they lock his azz up for the things he’s done. and that #2540 will be his prison id number..
April 19th, 2005 at 10:08 am“Do democrats measure the truth by the number of words one uses?”
No. The point is that the number of words reflects the semantic games needed to proclaim his innocence. He can’t simply say that all his conduct has been reviewed and found to be above board, because it hasn’t. It has been found to be wanting in ethics, but not “technically” a violation of a specific rule.
It would do everyone well to remember that “not guilty” is not equivalent to “innocent.” It just means that the evidence was insufficient.
April 19th, 2005 at 10:20 amSorry for the consecutive posts, but I decided I couldn’t let this slide:
On Mr. Delay’s web site, he has the double gall of (1) listing the “Contract with America” in the same category of historic documents as the Constitution, and (2) putting the Contract with America’s pledge to to end the “cycle of scandal and disgrace” in Congress on his site at the same time that he is involved in more investigations than his partial namesake Ken Lay.
April 19th, 2005 at 10:27 amWho wrote this thing? Did they get beyond the sixth grade? It is so filled with misspelled or outright incorrect words that it’s hysterical. My favorite is “Undue the will of the people.” Uh… I believe you meant “Undo,” and, besides that, the statement itself is an “Undue” charge.
April 19th, 2005 at 10:28 amIn other words, the Bugman could just say that the charges against him are without any merit and he fully supports an independent investigation into his activities. He could say that if found guilty of any wrong doing in that investigation he will resign for the good of America.
April 19th, 2005 at 11:18 amBugman’s entire political tenure has consisted of utter contempt for the law, the spirit of the Constitution and american values; unfortunately he and his supporters view that as a good thing.
Would have been better if it was a speech! I could sit back with a bucket of popcorn.
April 19th, 2005 at 11:59 amDeLay Yard Signs: you can order them on the TomDeLay.com website. Perhaps personalize them….
April 19th, 2005 at 12:24 pmIn response to Raymon Thompson –
Look. If you want to tell yourself that Tom DeLay is just the victim of Democratic attacks, go ahead. We all have fantasies.
But the REALITY is that Mr. DeLay has been taking money hand over fist for years and rewarding the corporate types with legislation that benefits them. That’s the deal. And if you want to delude yourself into thinking that Democrats are trumping up the charges against Tom DeLay, then go ahead. Tom DeLay is being investigated by a grand jury. Not a Democratic Club.
But the only evidence you have to support your point is a letter from Tom DeLay, desperately trying to convince suckers like you that it’s all just a Democratic plot.
Let’s catalogue some of Mr. DeLay’s achievements, shall we? He worked hard to repeal the estate tax (a burden which will now shift to you – unless you’re a millionaire), defeat the minimum wage hike, change the bankruptcy laws (tougher on the middle class, not the wealthy), and defeated amendments by Democrats to exempt Iraq/Afghanistan veterans and victims of identity theft from the new bankruptcy rules, and of course still found time to threaten the judiciary…
If you can convince yourself that those things are in your best interest, then I think you deserve Tom DeLay as your representative.
Tom DeLay is a victim of his own unbridled greed and lust for power.
Wake up.
April 19th, 2005 at 12:27 pm…the ethics committee did not find this against him…the ethics committee did not find that against him…the g–dam ethics committee was reshuffled to his benefit. Repubs are a JOKE!!
April 19th, 2005 at 12:49 pmI fear that what everyone has failed to discuss is that this crisis is bigger than Tom Delay. Congressmen from both sides of the aisle represent the interests of corporations and special interest groups. There is no powerful lobby or special interest of note that represents the common people. It is taxation without representation. It is a class of elite taking benefit from the labor of the masses. Does this sound familiar? This is not a Government Of the People, By the people and for the People. It is a government based on the slogan. Money Talks. Democrats and Republicans alike are complicit in this. How many Dems voted in favor of a Bankruptcy Bill favoring Corporations? How many Dems voted for the discraceful pork filled budget favoring their contributors interests? This solution can begin with bringing down Delay, but it is just that. A beginning. The people have no voice in Government. Doesn’t it feel like we are all being paated on the head and told to leave the decisions to the Grownups alla “leave it to Beaver”? TAKE BACK THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE!!!!
April 19th, 2005 at 1:46 pmi couldn’t agree more. we need strong, third party candidates at all levels of government. call it the “people’s party”
April 19th, 2005 at 2:33 pmI’m all for a viable third party… but I’m not clear on what will make the third party immune to the symptoms of the first two…
April 19th, 2005 at 2:41 pmI also used to believe that a “viable third party” was the way out of this mess; but I grew up and faced reality after I saw how that arrogant little coporophage Ralph Nader screwed us all by helping to put Geo. W. Bush in office. A “viable third party” is a nice romantic ideal, but it’s not going to happen, people — not in our lifetimes, and probably not at any time in American history. We are stuck with a two party system — so accept it, and pick a side. If Bush & crew have accomplished nothing else, they have made me into a good Democrat.
April 19th, 2005 at 5:38 pmJudicial Watch is not a democratic front group; they are a GOP front group. That’s ridiculous.
April 19th, 2005 at 5:44 pmI know if I lived in the 22nd congressional district or was a rethuglican I’d be embarished by this asshat.
April 19th, 2005 at 7:25 pmYou ask me, I have feelings for those in the 22nd District that voted for his opponent, Richard Morrison.
You think he deserves to be fired (as Trump would do)? I say he DOES deserve to be told “YOU’RE FIRED!”
And I have no trust in him, or any extremist Republican, for that matter.
April 19th, 2005 at 9:43 pmDelay is Disgusting. If I lived in his Texan district, I would be embarassed and fighting to get him out. Delay loves big money, and is so oily and crude, that he will taking many down with him. Dump Delay, without delay.
April 20th, 2005 at 12:24 amWe owe Tom DeLay our thanks. Nowhere else have I seen so many accusations against him gathered so neatly in one place, and framed in such a way that any reasonable and unbiased observer, without further knowledge of the particulars, would be convinced that DeLay was guilty of at least several, and probably many, bad acts.
April 20th, 2005 at 9:30 amIt is time for De Lay to step down from public life. He is a disgrace to our government.
April 20th, 2005 at 10:13 amI’m confused how offering a bribe on the House Floor is “novel” and I’m very distressed that “it is highly improper, and a basis for the initiation of disciplinary action, for any House Member or staff person to attack the integrity of this Committee or any of its members.”
They can’t criticize the Ethics Committee, for to do so is a cause of action?
To get third parties we need to change the way we vote. We must move to ranked ballots, like the Australians and Finns have. Mathematically speaking, ranked ballots (spefically Condorcet variants) are the best way to run an election. The math simply didn’t exist in 1783.
On the other hand, if Hefley was really term limited out, and Doc Hastings was simply the #2, it seems a _lot_ less like a panel packing plan than I seem to remember reading.
April 20th, 2005 at 11:15 amDelay did nothing but reiterate what the ethics committee did. He didn’t explain his actions and nothing was mentioned of the Republican members who were ‘all of a sudden” taken off the Committee because they disagreed with Delay nor the changing of the rules, a well know republican tactic when they can’t seem to convince the people that what they are doing is acutally a good thing. After all, Delay, a wannabe Supreme Court Justice and absolute moral ruler knows everything about ethics, and how to get around them, usually with a ‘little help from his friends’ along with a few perks at tax payer expense. What is wrong with that?
April 20th, 2005 at 12:28 pmIf DeLay’s e-mail was not requested by his constituents, and if it was sent to thousands of people at once, I believe someone should complain to Bugman’s ISP without delay.
In certain circles, they call it SPAM.
April 20th, 2005 at 1:58 pmTo Mr. Raymon Thompson:
Tom DeLay, as it is becoming more apparent by the day, is as crooked as a dog’s leg.
Unfortunately, you have appointed yourself one who will clean up his kennel; fortunately, your labors will soon be at an end as the Republicans have detected DeLay as a Major Liability, and therefore will dump him before the various investigations lead into their own backyards.
Gird thy loins, Brother Thompson, Frist is next!
April 20th, 2005 at 8:28 pmTom Delay is in trouble for three reasons, 1, He’s a Republican, 2, he’s as crooked as Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney and 3, George Bush is solidly behind him. Will Delay survive? Too early to tell, but when Karl Rove and Co. decide that Delay is a liability to the party, he will step aside.
April 21st, 2005 at 10:11 amI agree completly. DeLay has to get out of Washington. As a Texan, it is so bad that people in other states hate us. I have friends in other countries that think the U.S. is crazy to let him stay in office.
April 21st, 2005 at 12:33 pmI read recently (sorry, don’t recall where) that DeLay is in trouble in his own Sugarland, Texas, district, with his polls numbers marching south.
Could this mean the seat could go to a Dem, or just another Republican not quite as corrupt as DeLay?
April 22nd, 2005 at 8:35 pmTom Delay, George W, and probably most of todays Republican party, are untrustworthy, dispicable liars, and shake their bibles in our faces like it was a .44 mag. When the bibles says “thou shalt not kill, or lie” It doesnt say thou shalt not kill or lie unless you are a Government official. Jesus Would have never waged war on Iraq, nor would he allow most of the things that Republicans do in government.
May 30th, 2005 at 2:45 pmMust be nice to be DeLay’s wife and daughter – a $500,000 a year salary for working on his campaign???????? Those in his district would LOVE to see him gone – enough people have to get mad enough to make the change (that goes for the whole government, Reps and Dems).
DeLay is still under investigation in Texas for his unethical handling of his campaign and its finances.
Hmmmm, sounds like DeLay and Cunningham are of the same mold – yuck – shall we break it and throw this mold out?
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July 4th, 2005 at 8:58 am[...] Tom “The Hammer” DeLay… This man is what made Texas the political cesspool that is currently is, through bullying, arm twisting, and stomping on anyone necessary to get the job done. He has a Texas Large collection of ethical breaches, and in my opinion is also the guy who mastered the art of blaming a Liberal Bias on anyone who questioned him, to avoid taking any accountability for his actions. Where do I start… well, he was recently indicted for money laundering and conspiracy, apparently solely because the DA is a DNC operative, on account of him being a registered democrat. Of course he completely ignores the prosecution record of Ronnie Earl, who has prosecuted more democrats than republicans (According to the Washington Post, out of 15 politicians his office has prosecuted only 3 were republicans). [...]
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March 21st, 2008 at 1:35 pmJessie
Here’s a very relevant related article
March 21st, 2008 at 8:43 pmUs Bankruptcy Court For The District Of Austin Texas
Interesting – because that is the same thing I found out last Thursday.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:49 pmJim Crow Laws Employment Law Us Supreme Court
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 11th, 2008 at 8:06 am