Top GOP Leader In Hot Water (CBS/AP) House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, is telling close colleagues he may have to temporarily abandon his leadership post if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury investigating alleged campaign finance abuses, Roll Call reports. The Capitol Hill newspaper said a GOP congressional rule stipulates that members who hold elected leadership posts must temporarily step down if they are indicted on a felony charge. The member may resume his or her post if found innocent, or if the charge is dropped, or if the charge is reduced to a misdemeanor. DeLay's problem stems from a state grand jury sitting in Austin that is probing allegations that corporate money was used illegally in 2002 legislative races in Texas. Specifically, the grand jury is investigating whether state law was violated when a Republican National Committee group gave $190,000 to seven candidates for the Texas House in 2002. The donations were made on the same day, two weeks after a political committee called Texans for a Republican Majority sent $190,000 in corporate money to the RNC group. Under state law, the political committee, created by DeLay, could not legally give corporate donations to candidates. Democrats allege that Republicans took money that could not be given to candidates and moved it around before donating it to candidates. Republican officials have said the transactions were legal, and the timing and amounts were coincidental. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, is in charge of the investigation, and Republicans charge that the probe is politically motivated. No indictments have been issued. CBS News
I would be so pleased. I don't think it would get rid of the SOB, unless he's convicted, but it's a start.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. But someone, somewhere, will pull some strings, so I wouldn't count him out. He's more resilient than the Texas cockroaches (the non-metaphorical kind) he used to exterminate.
Sweeeeeeeeeeet! Tom DeLay is a disgrace to Congress, and I never even though such a thing was possible!
Geez where have all the good republicans gone? Seems like they are all in hot water these days - poor lil' fellas...
We can only hope that he soon joins Newt Gingrich in obscurity. His radicalism, ruthlessness and access to big money makes him as big a threat to democracy as we've seen since Joe Mccarthy. My glee at his tribulations is unrestrained.
I don't want him to step down. I like having an embarrassment like that as the head of the Republican party.
With his image as a little Napolean and the fact that he was an exterminator, yes, he is an easy caricature. But that Lil' dude is doing real politics. Moderate republicans won't let him do anthing too bad but they will let him put the hammer down on a lot of good things that could happen. If only there were a national canditate that understands the power of oratory. He could take this country by storm. He could may the petty spin job, sound bite canditates look soooo cheesy. Like Kennedy made Nixon look (and frankly Nixon would look positivley erudite in a 2004 campaign)
They came to realize that they were being the dupes of big money expousing the hypcrocy of "compasionate conservatism". They realized that if they really wanted to live 'christian values' they needed to accept the burden of liberalism. maybe, or maybe no
