DeLay’s Dirty (Baker’s) Dozen
DeLay’s Dirty (Baker’s) Dozen
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been a busy man these last few years. Whether bribing congressmen, threatening political opponents, vacationing with lobbyists, or gutting House ethics rules, it’s been hard to keep up with all the Hammer’s activities. Here are thirteen highlights from DeLay’s illustrious career:
DELAY KILLED INVESTIGATION INTO LABOR ABUSE IN MARIANAS ISLANDS: In 1998, DeLay helped kill a “congressional fact-finding trip that was being planned as part of an investigation of sweatshop conditions in the garment industry in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.” Jack Abramoff represented the Northern Mariana Islands at the time, aiding them in their quest to avoid U.S. labor laws. To this end, Abramoff flew dozens of lawmakers and their aides for luxurious vacations to the balmy islands, including one 1997-98 New Year’s trip for DeLay and his wife. (It was on this trip that DeLay called Abramoff “one of my closest and dearest friends.”) Later that year, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) decided to leading a fact-finding investigation into worker abuse in the islands’ garment industry. When DeLay caught wind of the investigation, his office threatened the Hoekstra with loss of his subcommittee chairmanship if he continued.
DELAY RAISED CORPORATE CASH FOR TRMPAC: DeLay is embroiled in a scandal in Texas for his active participation in illegally funneling corporate funds to assist state political campaigns. DeLay’s political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC), is under criminal investigation for using corporate money to finance Texas campaigns. DeLay has tried to distance himself from the group, but documents show DeLay “personally forwarded at least one large check” to the group and was “in direct contact with lobbyists for some of the nation’s largest companies” on TRMPAC’s behalf. [Source: NYT, 3/10/05; Salon, 10/04/04]
DELAY BRIBED CONGRESSMAN TO VOTE FOR MEDICARE: DeLay has admitted offering to endorse Sen. Nick Smith’s (R-MI) son Brad, who was running for Congress at the time, in exchange for Smith’s “yea” vote on the Medicare bill. His actions violated House rules and earned DeLay a “public admonishment” from the Ethics Committee. Smith originally alleged — and then retracted after pressure from House leaders — that DeLay also offered a $100,000 bribe for his vote. DeLay extended the role call on the Medicare bill for nearly three hours in order “to avoid an embarrassing loss.” [Slate, 10/1/04; WP, 10/1/04]
DELAY USED TAXPAYER MONEY FOR PARTISAN STUNT: The House ethics panel rebuked DeLay for using government resources to help locate a private plane he thought was carrying Texas Democratic legislators. DeLay was trying to force the legislators back to the capitol so he could push through his “bitterly disputed congressional redistricting.” The ethics report cited House rules that bar members from taking “any official action on the basis of the partisan affiliation…of the individuals involved” and said DeLay’s behavior raised “serious concerns under such “standards of conduct.” [WP, 10/7/04]
DELAY PAID FOR GOLF TOURNAMENTS WITH CASH MEANT FOR KIDS: DeLay used a children’s charity, Celebrations for Children Inc., as cover for collecting soft money from anonymous interest groups, some of which was used for “dinners, a golf tournament, a rock concert, Broadway tickets and other fundraising events” at the Republican convention in New York. Because the money was supposedly for charity, companies wishing to curry favor with DeLay were able to do so without revealing themselves as campaign donors. Federal laws governing tax-exempt charities allow no more than an insubstantial portion of a group’s revenue to be spent on activities other than the charity’s main stated purpose. [CBS, 11/14/03; WP, 3/24/04]
DELAY PROMISED ‘SEAT AT TABLE’ FOR DONOR: In one of its three public rebukes, the House Ethics Committee cited the belief on the part of executives at an energy company, Westar Energy Inc., that a $56,500 contribution to a political action committee associated with DeLay would get them a “seat at the table” where key energy legislation was being drafted. DeLay also participated in Westar’s golf fundraiser at The Homestead resort in the summer of 2002, ” just as the House-Senate conference on major energy legislation…was about to get underway.” [WP, 10/7/04]
DELAY TOOK MONEY FROM TEXAS PRISON COMPANY WITH LEGISLATION PENDING: DeLay “took a $100,000 check from a private prison company” — the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) — at a fundraiser for his children’s charity, the DeLay Foundation for Kids. CCA — whose 20-year history has been “fraught with malfeasance, mismanagement, and abuse” — was part of an ongoing lobby for a bill that would privatize up to half of Texas’s jails. DeLay is known for wielding major influence over the Republican-led legislature that will decide on the matter. [Knight Ridder, 11/30/04; Texas Observer, 6/6/03]
DELAY BLOCKED LEGISLATION FOR PARTISAN VENDETTA: In 1999, DeLay received a “private rebuke” for threatening retaliation against the Electronic Industries Association when the trade group named a Democrat to head its Washington operation. To punish the group, DeLay stopped two uncontroversial trade bills that would have benefited the EIA and told the association it would lose all GOP access unless it hired a Republican instead. The group still hired the Democrat, but a little later, the EIA quietly hired a former House Republican staff member who promptly showed up at a fundraiser for DeLay’s ARMPAC. [Texas Observer, 2/4/00; Slate, 12/5/98]
DELAY TOOK SHADY DONATIONS FOR LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: The list of recent donors to DeLay’s legal defense fund includes two lawmakers placed on the House Ethics Committee this year (they replaced conservatives who were purged for being critical of DeLay), and corporations implicated in DeLay’s alleged fundraising violations. Corporate donors include Bacardi U.S.A., the rum maker that has also been indicted in the Texas investigation, and Reliant Energy, “another major contributor to a Texas political action committee formed by Mr. DeLay that is the focus of the criminal inquiry.” In December, DeLay was forced to return funds from registered lobbyists because those contributions violated House ethics rules. [NYT, 3/13/05; Time, 3/13/05]
DELAY LEFT ETHICS BEHIND ON EUROPEAN VACATION: DeLay enjoyed a luxurious vacation at the Four Seasons Hotel in London in mid-2000, paid for by an Indian tribe and a gambling services company, both of which opposed gambling legislation DeLay voted against two months later. The payment was funneled through lobbyist Jack Abramoff, best known for teaming up with right-wing religious fundamentalist Ralph Reed to close down a Texas casino operated by the Tigua Indians in 2002, then persuading the tribe to pay the two of them $4.2 million to lobby Washington lawmakers, including DeLay, to reopen it. According to expense accounts obtained by the Journal, Abramoff financed DeLay and DeLay’s staff’s stay at the Four Seasons hotel to the tune of $4,285.35. The total reimbursement for expenses in London was $13,318.50. [WP, 3/12/05; Raw Story, 2/25/05; WP, 9/29/04]
DELAY LEFT HOUSE RULES BEHIND ON ASIAN VACATION: DeLay accepted an expense-paid trip to South Korea which, in direct violation of House rules, was paid for by a South Korean lobbying group. The Korea-US Exchange Council, a group registered with the Foreign Agents Registration Act, was created with help from DeLay’s former chief of staff. The cost to send DeLay, his wife and three of his lawmaker friends to Seoul for three days was $106,921, the fourth largest cost for any single trip taken by lawmakers between January 2000 and September 2004. [WP, 3/10/05]
DELAY KICKED ETHICS OUT OF HOUSE: DeLay and his allies in the House have sought to cripple the House Ethics Committee. The committee, which rebuked DeLay three times last year, was purged of its most “responsible” members last month and is currently “paralyzed” by a proposed rules change that “would prevent the committee from launching any investigation without the support of at least one Republican–a restriction designed to protect the majority leader.” [WP, 2/5/05; WP, 10/7/04; Time, 3/13/05]
DELAY TRIED TO CHANGE RULES TO PROTECT POWER: DeLay was the driving force behind the decision by House leaders to abandon an 11-year-old party rule that “required leaders to step aside temporarily if indicted.” The idea was dropped only after rank-and-file lawmakers complained “the party was sending the wrong message.” [NYT, 11/18/04; WP, 3/11/05]
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What are you guys talking about? This is all a liberal conspiracy…
May 10th, 2005 at 4:15 pmthank you for pointing out a few of tom delay’s REAL problems. the gop would love to put up a smokescreen and say tom delay “traveled” and so did the democrats. Anyone who is not blind realizes “travel” is not even on the radar as far as tom delay’s corruption scandals go.
May 10th, 2005 at 5:09 pmI’m probably just slow, but isn’t 5 less than 13? Not that coming up with 13 will be that challenging…
May 10th, 2005 at 5:32 pmThanks jake, this is all fixed now. You can see the full Baker’s dozen…
May 10th, 2005 at 6:15 pmThanks. A useful list–with more I suspect to be added as people lose some of their fear.
May 10th, 2005 at 7:20 pmthank you thank you thank you.
May 10th, 2005 at 7:58 pmWhy would anyone want to defend such sick behavior? I would drop this guy like a bad.
May 11th, 2005 at 12:37 pmi thought al copnone was dead
May 24th, 2005 at 10:05 pmI don’t want to DELAY his ouster another second, the hypocrit phony. I hope all this hurts the GOP in the Congressional races.
June 1st, 2005 at 1:50 pmIt’s sad but seems to be true, the only thing worse than a child molester is tom delay.
June 1st, 2005 at 2:00 pmDeLay should be sweating like a preacher in Oklahoma caught in a whorehouse in July.
June 1st, 2005 at 2:01 pmI would think there are plenty of people in between a child molester (chosen at random) and Tom Delay, though there are similarities in abundance. First being both rape something (someone) that is idealistically pure.
I sure wish we can restore some ethics in politics. It is so bad already that it will take many years to undo Bush’s damage.
June 1st, 2005 at 2:15 pmIt is no surprise to me that the morally bankrupt American Fascist-Taliban Party (a.k.a., Republican Party) is led by such a dishonest person such as Tom Delay. He leads through intimidation of “friends� and foes, alike, via unethical methods. His failures as an “honest man� are no surprise to me. What does surprise me is the fact that some Americans and the media have not have not called him on his immoral actions. I am truly happy that I left the Republican Party in 2000 and, now, consider myself an Independent.
June 1st, 2005 at 2:30 pmYou are a blight on our country — get out before you are thrown out.
June 1st, 2005 at 3:00 pmI can’t believe that all this has resulted in inaction by those who have been placed in a postion of responsibility by and for the people. Since when did we vote for someone who chooses to be a king rather than a representative?
June 1st, 2005 at 3:21 pmThere should be a poster of Tommy with the caption, “It’s a sceme until you get, then it’s a scam!!!”
June 1st, 2005 at 3:29 pmThere should be a poster of Tom DeLay with the caption, “It’s a SCEME until you get caught, then it’s a SCAM!
June 1st, 2005 at 3:31 pmTom DeLay is just one infected with a particularly virulent strain of virus that has been incubating in Foggy Bottom since 1994, when the “Contract On American” mutated and became airborne. Government needs to be innoculated against money waving lobbiests of all stripes. Politicians of both parties are addicted to the money and favors power can provide. Unless we can force them to swallow the bitter pills of true campaign finance reform and strict curbs on all lobbiests, this disease will kill off our democracy and the walking dead will run the government. We have to start somewhere. Putting Tom DeLay in isolation is a good beginning.
June 1st, 2005 at 3:41 pmIt’s amazing how guys like Richard call these acusations a Liberal conspiracy. Like most republicans, he chooses to turn his head and look the other way. Remeber all the accusations made about Clinton? The rebubs hired a special prosecutor to go after him, maybe DeLay deserves the same? We’ll find out the truth….
June 1st, 2005 at 3:43 pmNixon lives in Tom Delay. Throw the bum out. There must be an honest republican out there to lead the house, hopefully for only 2 years.
June 1st, 2005 at 4:22 pmMaybe it’s considered old news, but I think one of the worst of his offenses took place during the 2000 election recount, when he sent (and financed) Congressional staffers’ trips to Florida to disrupt the process.
June 1st, 2005 at 5:04 pmSo many of us state our opinions, for or against Tom DeLay (or any other politician), with more anger than progressive thought. We, as Americans, generally feel that all politicians are corrupt. Why do we accept this as gospel? Why aren’t we fighting back, as a group (both liberal and conservative) to see to it that all our politcal figures are trustworthy? It seems we all vote on party lines only, making us no better than the partisan-divided representatives in Washington. Corruption isn’t a partisan issue; corruption runs rampant throughout politics. We sit back and blame “the other party” for what is wrong with American politics. The problem isn’t them… it’s us. We assume that if our candidates belong to the same party as we do, that they will actively pursue our interests. Many of these people, in ALL political parties, are only interested in money, and will stop at nothing to get it. Not money for you or me (the voting taxpayers who put these thieves into office); money for themselves and their rich buddies. Tom DeLay does whatever he wants to because we have become such an apathetic society as to allow politics and government to become a haven for wealthy power mongers, making policy only to serve themselves. Tom DeLay is ethically bankrupt. Many others are as well. Let’s work together to remove ALL the bad elements from Washington, and return the government to the People. Start with Tom DeLay, and let his downfall serve as a warning to those who abuse political power. Peace.
PS: After reading the Terms of Use agreement, I feel it necessary to state that should the controller of this Blog/Message Board choose to edit my comments in any way that changes their meaning in order to advocate or rebuke or any politician or political agenda, I would appreciate it if you remove my name from them. Nothing personal.
June 1st, 2005 at 5:08 pmIt may be in the interest of the Democratic Party to keep Delay around, at least, until the end of the next Congressional elections. The trick is to help keep his PERSONA–and its his and ramifications–highlighted as iconic for the so-called “decency” which the Bush regime seeks to claim….?
June 1st, 2005 at 7:28 pmPeople need to start calling there representative, whether Dem or Repub or other, and demanding his removal ASAP.
June 1st, 2005 at 7:52 pmIt’s about time!!!
June 1st, 2005 at 8:07 pmTom Delay is an extension of W. Keep up the good work Tom. I hope you keep your job so you can continue to cause rot and decay in your corrupt Republican party thus insuring a better chance of Democratic victory in 08.
June 1st, 2005 at 10:26 pmNot only is Tom Delay corrupt but there are 10 others who voted for a bill to allow oil and gas companies to use MTBE as an additive for gasoline and which contaminated water in 28 states. These corrupt congressmen and women should hang the same way Delay will hang, shouldn’t they? read more at this webpage:
June 1st, 2005 at 11:13 pmhttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/05/16/saudis_lobby_to_limit_liability_on_additive/
The League of Conservation Voters sent this webpage which reveals the entire corruption in connection with Delay:
http://www.lcv.org/documents/Delay042105_final.pdf
What must happen before the republican party totally bankrupts this counrty. What tom delay has done is morally irresponsible. Where are the people like limbaugh & ken starr, who were so ready to impaeach Pres. Clinton for a lie. What Clinton did was between him and Hillary. I do not remeber any one dying because of it.
June 2nd, 2005 at 12:07 amIMPEACH BUSH, CHENEY AND GET RID OF DELAY.
I am ashamed to say that I am a Houstonian who must bear the burden of having such a terrible group from the same city as I am from. Send Bush and all his group back to hell where they belong.
June 2nd, 2005 at 7:22 amI find it quite disturbing that our president insists on protecting and defending tom delay. how does our “mandated” leader incorporate delay’s heinous behavior into the “moral leadership” of our administration?
June 2nd, 2005 at 7:44 amAs they say, it (Washington) stinks from the top down.
June 2nd, 2005 at 9:10 ami really appreciate seth asa’a comments. my thoughts exactly. i am an angry liberal and it is difficult for me to separate from that. you expressed yourself in a way that hopefully will help people open their eyes. thank you.
June 2nd, 2005 at 10:46 pmTom Delay should take a large dose of that rat poison he used so efficently when he was an exterminator. Time for this rat to be exterminated. This man should be expelled!
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