Posted on 04/10/2005 11:45:55 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON - Signaling that persistent ethics questions about House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may be starting to weigh down Republicans, a GOP moderate on Sunday called for DeLay to resign his leadership post, and a top GOP senator urged DeLay to answer questions about his ethics.
"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election," Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., told the Associated Press after making similar comments at community meetings in his home district this weekend. He said DeLay should step down.
Shays has had a rocky relationship with DeLay, R-Sugar Land, in recent years over questions about campaign finance and ethics rules. But his concerns were underscored by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., a conservative and the Senate's third-ranking Republican, who said DeLay needs to clear the air.
"I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves," Santorum said on ABC's This Week. He said that from what he knows of the ongoing DeLay controversies, "everything he's done was according to the law."
"Now you may not like some of the things he's done," said Santorum, who is up for re-election next year. "That's for the people of his district to decide, whether they want to approve that kind of behavior."
Ongoing investigations A political action committee created by DeLay has been under investigation by the Travis County district attorney, and federal investigators are probing a lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, who had ties to DeLay. The majority leader also has been the subject of recent news reports about the propriety of overseas travel, which may have been underwritten by lobbyists, including Abramoff.
DeLay also drew attention for his strident criticism of federal judges, particularly those who refused to order the reinsertion of a feeding tube for Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged Florida woman who died March 31.
A spokesman for DeLay countered Shays' comment by noting he enjoys "wide support of the rank-and-file" of the House GOP conference. Most of the House Republicans are conservative, and many have viewed the scrutiny of DeLay as part of an orchestrated campaign to undermine their political agenda.
Asked if DeLay has heard from GOP House members who are worried about the volume of critical news reports, DeLay chief spokesman Dan Allen replied: "Members were very supportive through the week last week and going into the weekend."
A top administration official also said Friday that DeLay has not yet become the political liability that Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., became in 2002, when he was pushed out of his leadership post by the White House in favor of Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., after making a political gaffe.
"Nobody around here is saying that DeLay is a problem the way Lott was," a senior administration official said.
But the mood on Capitol Hill has become testier as the controversies have raged on.
"I have no comment on anything," Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., said as he avoided questions about DeLay last week.
Democrats also are trying to embarrass Republicans into dropping their support of DeLay. The Public Campaign Action Fund will announce today that it will run new anti-DeLay ads in key congressional districts.
Undoing rules changes One of the recent targets was Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn., who faced questions about DeLay during his own tough re-election battle last November. Simmons also strongly called for the resignation of his state's former Gov. John Rowland, who was convicted of selling access to his office for personal gain.
GOP members have maintained that they are getting relatively few questions about DeLay when they return to their districts. But on Saturday, voters at a town hall forum asked Shays about DeLay, the Greenwich Time reported.
"He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party," Shays told the Greenwich audience.
Shays and Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., the past chairman of the House ethics committee, have signed a Democratic resolution that would undo some of the rules changes that GOP leaders, including DeLay, pushed through the House in January.
The new rules make it harder for the committee to pursue probes against members. Democrats have protested by blocking the committee from officially organizing.
Hefley was removed as chairman after the committee unanimously voted last year to issue three admonishments against DeLay. A key staffer also was fired.
DeLay recently offered to go before the committee to answer charges that have been raised in recent weeks. But his offer was viewed as largely symbolic since the committee is gridlocked.
"This whole ethics thing could not have been handled worse than it was," said Hefley, who recently spoke to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., about ways to diminish the political heat on Republicans regarding ethics.
Loyalty with concerns Hefley said that the loyalty by members toward DeLay because of his strong leadership on tough issues has overshadowed the private concerns of some members about DeLay.
"A lot of folks mention quietly that they are concerned about it. On the other hand, you have a lot of members standing up and pledging their undying support for Mr. DeLay," Hefley said.
Among those standing behind DeLay are House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who said recently, "He's taking a lot of arrows for all of us."
gebe.martinez@chron.com
Or, as Pukin Dog postulated on another thread:
The Hammer will survive, but Shays wont.
PD has the most interesting and believable take on this, when one remembers that sometimes politics is not 'just' politics, but personal.
Texas adores their elected and they would never turn against one of their own without good cause.
I know I live in Texas.
You all need to calm down and think about what Delay is doing to the party. True or not we didnt need any scandals.
Party first!
True, and disappointing. We'd be better off with a Congress consisting of the Swiftboat Vets. Junkyard dogs who won't let go of an injustice no matter how long it takes and regardless of 'which party' owns the junkyard. Men with mettle. President Reagan was one; President Bush apparently isn't.
I heard he paid them 500K, not 50K. Do you know which is the correct number.
I have no problem with 50K. If it's 500K, I think it might be legal but still be a public relations mistake on the part of Delay.
I want Delay to stay and help fight the judicial and the right to life battles.
I'm sure Mr. DeLay will properly thank Mr. Shays in the days to come. :o)
You need to step back and think about what Tom DeLay has done for the party.
Yes.
You made me laugh.
Exactly what has he done?
Sorry, CW..he won't be in the minority..he'll lose running as a Pubbie in 2006..
Thanks for the interesting link. I'm sure Shays won't be caught again saying anything nice about GOP leaders!
Delay IS guilty (of forcing some of the Republicans to show their liberal faces)...
Chris Shay is a big P----y. What is it with these NE Rino's who cannot stand up against a Rat.
gosh, don't they remember Clinton and his entourage who went to China and other places ON OUR MONEY? People have such short/selective memories. This is an attack and nothing less from the demons who run the party. I pray the moderate democrats pound the hell out of the liberals. I know they are very unhappy about the robbery of their party. There's hope there. NOW, if only the pubbies would get some intestinal fortitude. I'm getting soooo tired of politics. Isn't there anyone who cares about this country and not just their partypower?
Looks like we need to be praying for DeLay TO survive!
If they tell a lie enough times it becomes the truth. That's the American political way nowadays. Disgusting.
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