First, Republicans in the U.S. House thought it would be a great idea to help Tom DeLay by changing the rule forbidding House leaders to serve despite being under indictment. Second, those same lawmakers saw no problem in gutting the power of the House Ethics Committee, all because it had the temerity to admonish DeLay for repeatedly violating congressional rules.
But leave it to DeLay’s allies in Texas to embrace the House Majority Leader’s corruption in a whole new way.
A bill filed this week by a veteran state GOP lawmaker would give the Texas Ethics Commission — whose members were appointed by the three top elected officials in the state, all Republicans — the power to quash the prosecution of a politician.
I guess I should give the this gang credit for creativity. Indeed, this more closely resembles Boss Tweed-style corruption than anything we’ve seen at the national level for a very long time.
The plan is pretty simple: DeLay can get indicted by a grand jury, but instead of going to court for a trial, DeLay’s Republican friends can simply make the indictment go away. The Texas Ethics Commission’s members are chosen in part by House Speaker Tom Craddick (R), who has already proven himself willing to break whatever rules necessary to advance DeLay’s partisan agenda.
In a way, I’m glad this new proposal is on the table in Texas. It’s a perfect symbol of the kind of integrity and propriety that we’ve come to expect from DeLay and his roving band of thugs.