All of the papers are reporting today that the nation’s most criminally corrupt public official — House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — was admonished again by the House Ethics Committee yesterday. Most outlets report that this was the second time DeLay has been busted in the last six days — an unprecedented feat, to be sure — but this doesn’t tell the whole story.
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) was unanimously rebuked by the ethics committee Wednesday for involving a federal agency in a Texas partisan matter and staging a fundraiser in a way that appeared to link access to the congressman with political donations.
It was the second time in a week that DeLay, who ranks second in the House GOP hierarchy, had been admonished by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct for his hard-nosed tactics. The panel has five Republican and five Democratic members.
Actually, this LA Times account understates things a bit. DeLay was admonished by the Ethics panel last week for his role in an attempted bribe on the House floor, but yesterday’s rebuke was actually two reprimands at the same time. In other words, DeLay has been reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee three times in six days. In total, DeLay has been reprimanded by the Committee four times in his House career.
Needless to say, this has never happened with any Majority Leader, from any party, in the history of the Congress. DeLay is not only criminally corrupt; he’s criminally corrupt to a historic degree.
And he’s not just some controversial lawmaker; the man the Republican caucus has chosen to be their House leader.
The question now has to focus on what Republicans in Congress are willing to do about it. Pretending this hasn’t happened isn’t — or at least shouldn’t be — acceptable.
Let’s not forget that DeLay’s ethics crisis doesn’t even include a possible indictment in Texas, which the Houston Chronicle reported today may still be forthcoming.
Meanwhile, a memo obtained Wednesday by the Houston Chronicle indicates DeLay had personal involvement in directing some fund-raising activities of a political action committee under a grand jury investigation.
Three of DeLay’s associates have been indicted by a Travis County grand jury on charges of illegal fund raising involving Texans for a Republican Majority.
How many scandals, exactly, will the GOP endure? Are they so afraid of DeLay that they are willing to leave him in power despite his reprehensible conduct?
“Some large battleships can remain afloat after taking one torpedo,” said Don Kettl, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “But a second can disable them or bring them down. DeLay was heavily wounded by the first rebuke. The second could cripple him at best — or cost him his leadership position at worst.”
That’s a clever metaphor, but it gives DeLay far too much credit. He hasn’t just been hit twice, he’s been admonished by the House Ethics Committee four times and remains the subject of an ongoing grand jury investigation. In all seriousness, what will it take before the Republican caucus decides that they need a new leader?
Even Judicial Watch, the right-wing group that filed a lawsuit every time Bill Clinton sneezed, has called for DeLay’s resignation.
“Frankly, the ethics report was too kind to Mr. DeLay and the other House members implicated in the controversy. Mr. DeLay’s actions in trying to trade a political endorsement for a vote were inappropriate and unacceptable, and given this grave ethical lapse, he should step down as Majority Leader. The Republican Party should not countenance its leadership violating House rules and standards of ethical behavior,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
And yet Republican lawmakers stand by their man and ignore his corruption. Consider this quote from Rep. Ray LaHood, a five-term Republican from Illinois.
“If we pick up four or five seats [in Texas], that’ll help the conference. I think there would be a lot of appreciation for [DeLay] because he got it done.”
Here are the Republicans’ priorities, in plain view. It’s perfectly acceptable to have a crook lead the party, no matter how many times he’s caught, because the goal is “pick[ing] up four or five seats.” It’s not about governing or maintaining ethical standards, it’s about winning. The GOP isn’t even hiding their true motivations anymore.
DeLay demeans the House with his very presence, while congressional Republicans make fools of themselves with their unyielding support for their criminal leader.