Posted on 05/08/2005 7:18:06 AM PDT by billorites
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Democrats in Congress are beginning to find out.
Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., has reimbursed the Spectrum Group, a defense lobbying firm, $571 for food and lodging in Fort Lauderdale in February, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Tuesday. It is against House rules for a lawmaker or staffer to accept gratuities from lobbyists, though non-profit groups may pay for their travel expenses.
The Associated Press reported the same day that expenses for a trip Reps. James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., took to the Northern Mariana islands in 1996 were paid by Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist currently under criminal investigation.
The Washington Times reported April 20 a lobbying firm paid the $3,336 tab for a trip Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, and her husband took to Puerto Rico in 2001.
Dozens of congressmen of both parties are rushing to amend their travel and campaign records, The Washington Post reported April 26.
This is fallout from the effort by Democrats and their allies in the news media to paint House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas as "corrupt."
DeLay is a shady character, Democrats say, because he has hired members of his family to work on his campaigns and for his political action committee, and he's gone on trips paid for by lobbyists.
But it's not against House rules, much less against the law, to hire family members with private funds, and many other lawmakers have done it.
Three overseas trips taken by DeLay are under scrutiny. One, to South Korea in 2001, was sponsored by the Korea-U.S. Exchange Council, which later registered as a foreign agent. But other members and staff were on that trip, including a senior aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
When two start playing that game, the Democrats will be by far the biggest losers.
The news the Mainstream Media won't report.
ONLY if the Republicans in Congress go after them. Unfortunately, though, it seems as if the Repubs are a little squishy when it comes to fighting. Even when the means are handed to them on a sliver platter.
It's like putting Michael Jackson alone in a bedroom with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Nothing will ever happen.
bump
I saw a movie once about a guy who killed an Indian. The Indians wanted those under siege to release this guy to them so they could kill him. The others didnt know what to do but they ddint want to die so they gave the guy up.
I believe this is what the Republicans will do. They know that Democrats and Republicans are all equally guilty. If they give Delay up to the Indians it will all go away. I think they will do it.
Further prediction...because of this self-induced probloem, after the 2006 election, when the Dems lose more seats in the House..look for Rahm Emanual to depose Pelosi at Minority Leader..
People in rubber rooms shouldn't throw stones.
Then there was the king who had the biggest grass hut in the village. In fact it was a two-story grass hut. Anyway, this king had the villagers make him a new throne. He told his slaves to take the old throne and put it up in the attic.
Well, the damned thing was so heavy it burst right through the ceiling, fell down and killed the King, sitting there on his new throne.
Which proves that people in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones.
And there was the guy that had himself cloned. The clone was a nasty foul SOB with a mouth like Hilary Clinton.
The guy couldn't take it anymore, so he push the clone out a window. The clone died from the fall.
Since the clone was never legally a person, no one knew what to do about this. So they finally charged the guy with making an obscene clone fall.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.