DeLay claims to barely know one of his ‘closest and dearest friends’

February 9, 2006

Tom DeLay must have received some very discouraging poll results lately, because he’s going all out to convince his constituents that he barely knew Jack Abramoff. In fact, according to subscription-only Roll Call, DeLay wrote a nine-page letter to thousands of GOP voters in his district, distancing himself from the disgraced Republican lobbyist activist in unusually strong language. Unfortunately, there are a few inconvenient facts that might get in the way.

“A final word on Jack Abramoff: the notion that he was a close friend who wielded influence over me is absolutely untrue,” DeLay wrote. “As Whip and Majority Leader, I met with many people who brought issues before Congress and sought support of both Republicans and Democrats.”

DeLay added: “The reality is, Jack Abramoff and I were not close personal friends. I met with him only occasionally, in fact less frequently than numerous others who brought issues before Congress — never did he receive preferential treatment.”

The scope of DeLay’s dishonesty is simply breathtaking. DeLay can claim now that he and Abramoff “were not close personal friends,” but it’s hard for DeLay and his allies to spin the fact that DeLay and Abramoff went to the Northern Mariana Islands together in 1997, at which time DeLay gave a public toast to Abramoff, calling him “one of my closest and dearest friends.” The two took trips together; Abramoff helped DeLay reach the House GOP leadership; and Abramoff has hired a number of ex-DeLay staffers. DeLay met with Abramoff “only occasionally”? Please.

And as for DeLay’s claim that he never gave Abramoff “preferential treatment,” the former House Majority Leader is apparently hoping that his supporters in Texas are willing to overlook the years of cooperation and collaborative corruption.

Ultimately, DeLay is essentially telling his GOP allies in Texas, “With this nine-page letter, I’m counting on you being a special kind of stupid. Don’t believe your lying eyes; believe my transparently-false rationalizations for corruption.” This couldn’t possibly work, could it?

“This couldn’t possibly work, could it? ”

In Texas???

  • Interesting… a nine-page letter sounds like the sort of thing a Democrat would send out- overly long, arduous, and likely never to be read in its entirety… And here I thought the Republicans were the masters of the soundbite…

  • What’s dumb about this is for Bush, and to a lesser extent, DeLay, is that they should just say “Yeah, I know him. I’ve met him and I don’t know if there are pictures out there, but whatever, I’m a politician and I deal with hundreds of people. I had no idea what kind of scamming Abramoff was up to, and had I known I would not have met with him. It is impossible for me to screen every single person I meet and every single person the people who work for me deal with. Now that we are aware of Jack’s dealings, we have resolved to cut off all ties and identify any ill-gotten money we might have received.”

    That’s easy, isn’t it? I know the whole pictures flap with Bush is that he doesn’t want them circulating on MoveOn.org ads, but what the heck does he have to lose at this point? He’s not going to be in another campaign, ever. At this point I think DeLay would deny he’s ever been to Texas if he thought it would raise his poll numbers.

  • I’m with Ed on his opinion that this could work except that I wouldn’t exclude Republicans in any other state. Based upon my experience (and I have lots at work and in my immediate family), Republicans have an amazing ability to swallow anything their politicians say without regard to facts because of one or more of the following: 1) almost no one reports the facts any more in the traditional media so they have no idea of the long-standing relationship between DeLay to Abramoff; 2) if someone actually states facts that are contrary to what their politicians and pundits are saying they chalk up to “the liberal media”; 3) they don’t care what the truth is because “Democrats are worse.”

  • This morning on NPR, a letter was read from a listener who took NPR to task for fact checking Shruby’s SOTU speech. Shrub may be a lying S.O.B. but if he’s your lying S.O.B. then that’s OK and it’s just rude for anyone else to think or do different.

    Delay’s certainly hoping to convince people that he’s their living, loving, lying S.O.B. and that they should hold him dear regardless.

  • I’m not sure if you will believe this but a Republican spot opened up on the House Appropriations Committee because your friend and mine, Duke Cunningham, resigned. Taking the high road, the Republicans have named, no joke, Tom DeLay to replace him. One comment: “that’s like putting Mike Brown back in charge of FEMA.” DeLay was also put onto the Judiciary subcommittee, which is in charge of the Abramoff investigation. With each move, they try to be more audacious than before.

  • I agree with Ed. It is Texas. And there is a whole ‘nother level to stupid running around that state.

  • Republicans have an amazing ability to swallow anything their politicians say without regard to facts…. – Michelle

    DeLay and his breed of corrupt spinners are so incorrigible and their corruption is so essential to their power …that there is hope that over time the right wing protective media bias will be stripped away by their continued shameless antics. Clearly they don’t know when to quit.

  • Gridlock — You can read can read a summary with links to the backstory over at Daily Kos and it’s also over at Talking Points Memo. From what I understand he is on the appropriations committees for NASA and the Judiciary committee. That last one just seems too convenient for me.

    Sometimes this game of Republican whack-a-mole gets frustrating.

  • I live in Texas and it’s pretty amazing how stupid people are here. The Texans who can read that 9-page letter will believe it. Many Texans still think that Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11.

  • And Delay’s “closest friend” comment was pre 9/11. We all know 9/11 changed everything.

  • Crooks and liars ran a clip recently of Jacky boy introducing Delay at some function. This circle jerk on tape is f*cking proof that the b*stard is lying. Where is that on the airwaves?

  • Look who Texas helped “elect” as their “President.” In the Lone Star State, anything’s possible. And DeLay’s race will be a close one, regardless of the result. It’s a shame, CB, that you didn’t include Dick DeGeurin’s statements saying the exact opposite of DeLay’s letter. But Crooks and Liars didn’t…

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