Republicans Plan to Make Ethics Inquiries Harder to Begin -NYT

[Rose Siding]

...A House leadership aide said a package of rules changes to be presented to the House when Congress convenes on Tuesday could include a plan that would require a majority vote of the ethics panel to pursue a formal investigation. Now, a deadlock on the panel, which is evenly split between parties, keeps a case pending. The possible change, the aide said, would mean that a tie vote would effectively dismiss the case.

The aide said the change would instill more bipartisanship in ethics cases. But Democrats and outside groups said the proposal would dilute an already weak ethics process.
...
Democrats are planning to try next week to force a floor vote on a proposal requiring any member of either party's leadership to step aside if indicted on a criminal charge. The move would reverse last month's vote by Republicans, in a closed-door party meeting, to eliminate such a requirement for Republicans to protect Mr. DeLay should he be indicted in a campaign finance inquiry under way in Texas.

In Texas, state Republican legislative leaders and party officials are considering some maneuvers of their own in light of the investigation. One proposal would take authority for prosecuting the campaign finance case away from the Democratic district attorney in Austin and give it to the state attorney general, a Republican. Another possible move would legalize corporate campaign contributions like those that figure into the state case.

http://nytimes.com/2004/12/30/politics/30delay.html

[Liberty Belle]

1. More Republican moral values.

Disgusting! :kick:

[MisterP]

2. hacks! worthless, hypocritical, bum-covering hacks!

[GetTheRightVote]

3. The Repubs are attempting to break everything so they can dicate to the

rest of us in this country, they are B*s t e r d s.

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

4. Well no wonder, they have more ethics than ANYBODY

...just ask them! Why, they're so stuffed with ethics there's hardly room for the CASH!
:eyes:

[Rose Siding]

5. I wonder if they'll hold McDermott hostage over this

His case, I mean. Could they?

[genieroze]

6. These crooks are so......obvious. eom

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. This one should go on a billboard and plastered all across the

Red states. Anyone know if we can get the DNC to help out on this one?

[NYC Liberal]

8. How quickly they're opinions on this

and filibusters will change when they are no longer the majority...

[Thor_MN]

9. Typical GOP response..

Too many ethics problems in the GOP?? The soultion is obvious, redefine ethics or just make it harder to start an investigation. These asses have to go.

[Osamasux]

10. I am going to hammer my R congressman on this

in the local papers. Anyone else stuck with a butt-munch like the one in my district should do the same. Make the GOP SOBs pay for this one big time.

They are doing what we could not. Turning Tom DeLay into Newt Gingrich.

[goforit]

11. Who would of thunk it?.......Those crooked little bastards!!!

[CatholicEdHead]

12. "The Adults are in charge"

Yeah right. Stick that in their faces now.

[salin]

13. washington, proposing to intefere with states rights

for investigations and prosecutions... I think that they are treading on very dangerous ground here...

[jasop]

14. Why can nothing be done?

This is another example of brazen disregard for law and democracy and nothing can be done. Is there anyone who can tell me why there is no one stepping up to fight against any of the crap that keeps getting pulled on this country? I mean when other supposedly "less free" societies have a problem they protest and blam they get a new election. What is going on here in the USA? Why can we never get our protest seen or heard or even large enough to make a difference?

I am just confused and sad...

[The Zanti Regent]

15. Another argument for secession

I want out of Jesusland!