Q&A on DeLay
What's the problem?
The problem is a pattern of abuse and intimidation by Tom DeLay and Republican leaders, who have conspired to protect DeLay and in the process eliminated - at least for now ethics enforcement in the House.
As you know, the majority leader has been admonished for his unethical conduct four times since 1999. The latest admonishments for DeLay last fall were too much for House leaders, who felt like the ethics process had gotten out of their control. So they privately wrote some ethics rules changes that virtually guarantee no new ethics investigations will begin. Then they fired the chairman of the Ethics Committee, Joel Hefley, and two other members and replaced them with members widely viewed to be party loyalists, including two who gave money to DeLay's legal defense fund.
Then the Democrats on the Ethics Committee refused to accept the ethics rules changes, thereby preventing the committee from organizing and allowing it to conduct business.
So you essentially have a defunct Ethics Committee, while at the same time, numerous allegations have piled up in recent weeks about Tom DeLay - and other members of Congress - taking expensive trips that were illegally paid for by lobbyists and foreign agents.
Tom DeLay and his supporters say this is nothing more than a partisan witch hunt. Is that true?
That's laughable. Tom DeLay has four times been admonished by the unanimous vote of a bipartisan Ethics Committee in a Republican-dominated House. The only partisan witch hunt underway is being carried out by the Republicans, who have trashed the ethics process to protect Delay and have retaliated against their own colleagues for admonishing Delay. Joel Hefley, the former chairman of the Ethics Committee, and two other members of the ethics committee - along with two senior staff -- were thrown off the committee for doing their jobs.
Tom DeLay says this is just liberal groups ganging up on him. Is that true?
Again, this is not a left versus right issue.
I'm going to read you a few quotes:
"When you manipulate the rules to accommodate someone, anyone, that's not helpful. I think it's fair to say that there is a lot of concern our leadership hasn't handled this the way it should." That was Republican Congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut.
"People don't like to have to explain these kinds of things," That was Republican Joel Hefley, former chairman of the House Ethics Committee, talking about how Republicans would be watching public sentiment toward DeLay in their district over Easter recess.
"I think that the Republicans have acted wrongly in essentially dismantling the Ethics Committee and I think you're right; they should put teeth back into it." That was conservative Stephen Moore, former president of the Club for Growth.
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative Judicial Watch has called for DeLay to step down as majority leader, saying he is ethically unfit to lead Congress.
Jan Baran, former general counsel to the National Republican Committee, told the Washington Post that DeLay's trip to South Korea is "a problem" likely to trigger an ethics investigation.
Trevor Potter, the former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said: "Texans for a Republican majority was a highly sophisticated political operation that had clearly violated state political law.
It is not just Democrats or groups that are viewed as left leaning who are being critical of DeLay and his ethical conduct and House leadership's efforts to protect him. Republicans and conservatives alike share the sentiment. It is ludicrous for Tom DeLay to try and frame this as a personal attack against him.
What happened to the Ethics Committee from last year that admonished Tom DeLay?
Three of the five Republicans on that panel were fired. Joel Hefley, the chairman, was replaced by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), who is widely viewed as a party loyalist. In addition, Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Tom Cole (R-OK) were added to the panel. Smith donated $10,000 to DeLay's legal defense fund and Cole donated $5,000.
Why should Tom DeLay and others caught up in the junket scandal get in trouble when they claim they didn't realize who was paying for the trips?
Members of Congress have an obligation and responsibility to find out who is paying for the trip before they travel.
What about Tom DeLay and his travel problems? Don't all members of Congress take those expensive trips, Democrats and Republicans?
Yes, and that's just another reason we need a strong bipartisan Ethics Committee with the will and power to conduct thorough investigations and answer tough questions. If you don't have that, when these questions are left to float around in the press and on the internet, how can the public have confidence in its elected officials and government?
If Congress is to command the respect, trust and confidence of the people, the members who serve in it, especially the leaders, must operate and must be perceived as operating according to high standards of fair and ethical conduct.
What is the Mollohan resolution?
Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV), the ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, introduced a bill (H Res 131) March 1 that would undo the changes made to the House ethics rules at the beginning of the 109th Congress. The resolution has 206 co-sponsors, including Republican Reps. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Joel Hefley (R-CO), the former ethics committee chairman. It has been referred to the House Rules Committee.
What is the Pelosi resolution?
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the House minority leader, introduced a resolution (H Res 153) March 15 that would have established a bipartisan task force to recommend changes to House ethics rules. The House instead voted to table the motion, 223-194. (To read the resolution and House debate on it, click here. For a breakdown of how House members voted, click here.)