It’s encouraging to see a lot of follow-up on an Austin American-Statesman report from last weekend on Tom DeLay’s ethics troubles.
As you probably recall, Rep. Chris Bell (D-Texas), screwed over by DeLay’s re-redistricting scheme, filed a sweeping complaint against the House majority leader with the House Ethics Committee last month. The Statesman noted, however, that four of the five Republican members of the panel have a bit of a conflict — they’ve accepted a lot of money in contributions from DeLay and his political committees, including one lawmaker who received $10,000 from DeLay this year (before the complaint was filed).
Yesterday, watchdog groups said, given the circumstances, it’s time for an independent investigator.
While leaders in both parties maintain organizations to raise money for candidates, the appearance of a conflict in DeLay’s case is enough alone to warrant hiring an independent counsel of the type that investigated dethroned former speakers Jim Wright and Newt Gingrich, watchdog groups said Thursday.
“Mr. DeLay’s stature as one of the most powerful members of Congress — with the capacity to extract retribution from anyone — makes it especially difficult for his peers to sit in judgment of him,” said Common Cause president Chellie Pingree.
That’s a good point, too. The lawmakers on the committee not only owe DeLay because of the generous contributions, but also because he is their party leader. They have a built-in incentive to go easy on him — DeLay can and will punish those who challenge his authority.
If Wright and Gingrich were investigated by independent investigators, why should DeLay — whose suspected crimes are far worse — receive preferential treatment? At a minimum, the appearance of impropriety should prompt the ethics committee to distance themselves from this probe and request an outside investigation.
DeLay’s office hasn’t exactly crafted the best spin yet.
DeLay, who has denied the charges against him, said through a spokesman that an independent counsel is unnecessary. “We have full confidence the ethics committee will handle this in a proper manner,” said aide Jonathan Grella.
Yeah, that’s persuasive. The accused is comfortable with his allies investigating him and sees no reason to find an objective outsider to review the charges. What a shock.
Just to be clear, I’m not confident that these lawmakers will act responsibly and call for an independent investigation. I am, however, glad to see this story in the news again, reminding the public that Tom DeLay is one of the most corrupt individuals to serve in public office in a long time.