Posted on 2/7/2006, 8:03:35 AM by Extremely Extreme Extremist
HOUSTON, Texas - The House of Representatives gets ready to elect a new house majority leader today. There is an opening because Tom DeLay resigned a few weeks ago, due to his legal problems.
CBNNews spoke with DeLay and his wife Christine, who are speaking out against what they see as injustice.
In the dizzying world of politically charged Washington, D.C., the truth can be hard to find. Everyone here has an opinion, and spin is a daily game. For DeLay, to use a laundry analogy, he is right in the middle of the spin cycle and his critics -- the Democrats -- want to hang him out to dry.
Former U.S. Democratic Congressman Chris Bell remarked, "It's my opinion that Mr. DeLay is the most corrupt politician in America today."
That, in a nutshell, is the charge, that Tom DeLay is ethically challenged. The verbal bombs come every day from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to the Senate's top Democrat.
"I've never felt so distressed and concerned as I am today. Think about it. The majority leader in the House of Representatives convicted 4 times of ethics violations, under indictment for money laundering," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).
Well, actually he was never convicted. But still, these last two years have not been kind. The House Ethics Committee actually admonished DeLay three times in 2004, all on complaints that he used his political influence improperly. Eventually, they were all dismissed.
Last year, a Texas grand jury indicted him on campaign money laundering charges.
And then Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist friend of DeLay’s, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion. Before that, one of DeLay’s former aides, Michael Scanlon pled guilty to conspiracy in the Abramoff scandal.
But he was not working for DeLay at the time. Eventually, DeLay resigned as house majority leader realizing these issues became too much of a distraction.
“I have notified the Speaker that I will temporarily step aside from my position as majority leader pursuant to rules of the House Republican Conference," said DeLay.
DeLay was known as ‘The Hammer’ up on Capitol Hill. His tough, take-no-prisoners approach to legislating made him one of the most effective majority leaders ever. He got bills passed by keeping Republicans united and blocking Democrats from having much of a say.
But it made him public enemy number one among Democrats.
The DeLay's are longtime advocates for children in foster care, and foster parents themselves. DeLay and Christine met with CBN News at their new Christian foster care neighborhood, south of Houston.
Here they have spearheaded the effort to build dozens of homes for hundreds of foster kids.
DeLay remarked, "If this works, we hope we can take it around the country."
In a wide-ranging interview, DeLay discussed everything from his ethics troubles to his large number of political enemies.
CBN News: Do you feel like you may have made too many enemies, to the point where now it's becoming too much of an uphill climb?
Tom DeLay: I don't think it's too much of an uphill climb, but you're right -- I've made a lot of enemies.
CBN News: Who are you angry at?
DeLay: I'm really not angry. My faith has sustained me. I struggle with loving your enemies and I try my best to love my enemies and pray for my enemies, but I'm not angry.
He may not be angry, but it has been frustrating. The DeLays truly believe that this whole ordeal is a witch hunt, a left-wing conspiracy designed by the Democrats who do not like DeLay’s conservative Christian values and his hardball tactics.
Christine DeLay: They don't like Tom DeLay, because Tom DeLay has been very effective in making some serious changes in this country.
Tom Delay: All they have is the politics of personal destruction and character assassination.
Christine: And the liberal media.
Tom: And the liberal media.
Christine: That's huge.
CBN News: How do you fight it?
Tom: You get up everyday, you get on your knees, and you ask God's strength -- and He gives it to you and you get through today…I have never acted in an unethical manner. I've never broken the House rules. I've never broken the law, and yet in the national media you think that I should be in prison.
The Travis County District Attorney, Ronnie Earle, thinks DeLay belongs in prison. He alleges that DeLay was conspiring to illegally funnel corporate cash to state Republicans in 2002.
Earle stated, "The law says corporate contributions to political campaigns are illegal in Texas, and the law makes such contributions a felon. My job is to prosecute felons. I'm doing my job."
DeLay has said all along that these charges smack of blatant political partisanship. Earle has been accused of going after mostly Republican officials, and specifically DeLay, because he helped elect a Republican majority to the Texas House in 2002.
The public seems to think this may be partisan too. In the latest poll taken, 37 percent of people say the charges in the case were based upon the facts. But 39 percent said they are politically motivated.
"This is a fight that we're going to win,” DeLay asserted. “We're not going to let a District Attorney abuse his power. We're going to beat him."
DeLay is confident that he will also be exonerated in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing. But his enemies are licking their chops because of his friendship with Abramoff. It is a scandal that has already implicated one House member and in the future, could net many more.
Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute remarked, "Everyone who Abramoff touched may end up, at minimum, stained out of this -- and some of them are going to end up with a permanent stain and wearing stripes."
Any Abramoff story seems to always include a shot of DeLay giving Abramoff a hug on an overseas trip financed by Abramoff. DeLay has repeatedly denied knowing anything about Abramoff's dealings.
CBN News: Your critics will say that when Abramoff starts to testify, that you'll be in the middle of all of this. Are you worried about any of this?
DeLay: Not at all. My lawyers have checked it out. I don't do anything without them, because I know they're watching me very closely. I feel very confident that there is nothing there. I've done nothing wrong, nothing illegal, and when all of this is said and done, I won't be part of the process.
Strong denials, even though his critics like to point out that he once called Abramoff "one of his closest and dearest friends."
CBN News: Do you resent that you ever said something like that?
DeLay: No, I have to say Abramoff was my friend. I have a lot of friends…He was my friend. I should not be held responsible for his actions. I treated him legally and ethically. I've done nothing wrong in my relationship with him…I had no idea what was going on, on the other side.
But when you combine the Abramoff situation with being indicted, it became too much for DeLay to continue on as House leader.
CBN News: How hard was it to give up that House leadership position?
DeLay: Well, I'm not sure I can answer that the way you put it, David. I have always tried to do the right thing, what's in the best interests of the conservative cause.
CBN News: How much pressure did you feel you were under, to give up that House leadership position?
DeLay: I felt no pressure at all.
The pressure now is right here, in his home district. He is already in a tough re-election fight to keep his congressional seat. Moveon.org and many other liberal groups are down here, with gobs of money in hand to defeat him.
There are Web sites devoted to bringing him down, like dropthehammer.com, and blog sites that read 'Fire Tom DeLay," or “Tom DeLay's House of Scandal."
Christine said, "It's very difficult to hear people say lies, to lie about the person that you love the very most in the whole wide world…Thank goodness I have a strong faith or I don't know how somebody gets through without that.
"I don't know how people without a strong sense of faith get through something like this. I feel very sorry for them," DeLay added.
But DeLay does not want you to feel sorry for him. He is determined not to have his liberal enemies have the final say on his congressional career. But whatever happens, he knows he is not in control.
"God has a plan,” DeLay acknowledged. “I don't know what the outcome is. None of us know. I walk in what I think is the will of the Lord and make my decisions every day based upon that, and I have no regrets."
In the end, DeLay's bottom line is that, one day, the truth will set him free.
Amen!
It already has.
I am here in the district of Tom Delay; and no amount of George Soros' money (or others) will deter us from
re-electing a magnificently effective United States leader.
BUMP!
Great post!
Thank GOD and thank you, too!
I haven't been following this but what is the chance of Delay being convicted?
Fat and slim. Look for the charges to be quietly dismissed or DeLay acquitted with little fanfare.
Good to know, my friend. I am praying for him.
I'm right down the road from his district. I wish I could afford to move into his district so I could vote for him too. He's a victim of DemRat dirty politiks....and just one of many Reps that have fallen to their ssdd tactics.
Getting the popcorn ready 'cause Reid's going down too.
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