Texas Tangle is turning into a legitimate scandal

When I first heard about 53 Democratic lawmakers in the Texas House leaving town to ruin House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s radical redistricting plan, I thought it was funny. When I heard the GOP majority was trying to arrest the fleeing lawmakers, I thought it was hilarious.

Now, however, the consequences of the fiasco are quickly becoming a Grade A, full-blown scandal. Fortunately, everyone’s favorite congressman, Tom DeLay, is right in the thick of it.

Things took a turn towards the serious earlier this week when we learned that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) destroyed all the records associated with the search for the “missing” Dem lawmakers. Many in Austin and DC suggested the destruction of public records may have actually been criminal. That’s the first facet of the scandal.

The second has to do with how federal officials were recruited into this mess. Someone at DPS contacted the feds at the Homeland Security Dept., giving them the impression that a plane belonging to one of the Dem lawmakers was “missing, lost, or possibly crashed.”

As Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo explained, Tom Ridge was testifying yesterday to the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Dems asked for Ridge’s agency to release the transcript of the conversation between DPS and federal Homeland Security officials to gauge whether the DPS lied about the nature of the search. Ridge said no because the tapes are the subject of a potential “criminal investigation.” Hmm.

Now, what does all of this have to do with Tom DeLay? Everything. DeLay indicated early on that he wanted federal officials to aid state troopers in tracking down and apprehending the Killer D’s.

Initially, however, DeLay’s office insisted there was “no contact” between the Majority Leader and the Homeland Security Department or the FBI. DeLay did, however, acknowledge that he contacted the Justice Department about the search.

Again, Josh Marshall has the goods. “It turns out the information the DPS used to contact the Department of Homeland Security came directly from DeLay’s office.”

As the Houston Chronicle explained today, “DeLay admitted Thursday he provided Texas Speaker Tom Craddick with the same information that state police used to enlist a homeland security agency in the search for runaway Democratic legislators…. DeLay’s admission is the latest revelation that state and federal Republican officials were directly involved in the widespread manhunt.” A manhunt, I might add, that according to Tom Ridge is the subject of a “criminal investigation.”

Apparently, DeLay, in addition to calling the Justice Department, also contacted the FAA for information on the plane’s whereabouts. FAA officials told DeLay’s staff about the plane’s flight path, information which DeLay’s office then shared with the GOP House Speaker in Austin, who then shared the info with the DPS. Meanwhile, someone called federal Homeland Security officials and led them to believe the plane was missing and may have crashed.

Some of the documents, notes, and photos from the investigation of this incident may have shed additional light on who contacted whom and when, but conveniently, all of those records have been destroyed by the DPS.

Instead of fading away, this controversy is getting more and more interesting. As Marshall said, “The chain of events and contacts connecting the Majority Leader to a criminal investigation is now drawing awfully tight.” Stay tuned…