WaPo: House Ethics Standstill Stalls DeLay Decision

[maddezmom]

House Ethics Standstill Stalls DeLay Decision
Any Probe Is Months Away, Parties Say

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 9, 2005; Page A01

A dispute between the parties has shut down the House ethics committee for the second time this year, and lawmakers said that it could be months -- and perhaps next year -- before the panel will decide whether to examine the activities of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) or others accused of violating restrictions on lobbying and travel.

DeLay has retained Richard Cullen of Richmond, a former U.S. attorney and Virginia attorney general, to represent him in dealings with the ethics committee and, if necessary, the Justice Department.


"My job is to make sure that people are focusing on the facts and not politics," Cullen said yesterday.

DeLay's emerging strategy, other advisers said, is to argue that the ethics panel should not focus on him alone, but should conduct a broad investigation of members' compliance with travel rules, including the many Democrats who did not file required disclosure forms.

~snip~
more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/08/AR2005060802366.html

[swag]

1. "House Ethics Standstill" Now that captures it all.

[randr]

2. Great!

Now this issue will be in the center of next years elections. Already in Colorado Republicans are losing ground due to Delay ties. If any Dems suffer from Delay connections, so be it.

[wallwriter]

3. Ah. The "Everyone was doing it" defense.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Standing still, hoping the rotting pile of shit they are standing in

will somehow "disassemble" itself and relieve them of the stinking problem of corruption with DeLay and Abrahamoff and Bush and all the rest of the Republican profiteers.

[tsuki]

5. House Ethics Standstill Stalls DeLay Decision (WAPO)

Committee May Be Inactive for Months

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 9, 2005; Page A01

A dispute between the parties has shut down the House ethics committee for the second time this year, and lawmakers said that it could be months -- and perhaps next year -- before the panel will decide whether to examine the activities of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) or others accused of violating restrictions on lobbying and travel.

DeLay has retained Richard Cullen of Richmond, a former U.S. attorney and Virginia attorney general, to represent him in dealings with the ethics committee and, if necessary, the Justice Department.

/snip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/08/AR2005060802366.html?nav=rss_politics

Why do the Republicans hate attorney's so when they are so dependent on them these days?

[annabanana]

6. I'm confused..

I thought that rolling back the rules changes would make it possible for investigations to go forward..

[tsuki]

7. Apparently, the Republicans offered to roll back the rules in one

instance only. The Democrats objected. They want to restore the rules.

[acmavm]

8. You know, if the dems had any guts whatsoever, they could really

use this to show what a bunch a whores the repubs in Washington really are. Call them the Anything-For-A-Buck party. Nothing too low, no money too dirty that they can't launder it.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. They should be all over the M$M

ranting and raving. Why aren't our representatives demanding that these criminals be held accountable? Maybe because many of them have their own crimes to cover up?

[fasttense]

10. The House still has ethics?????????

I thought they all voted to get rid of all ethics. Hmm, that must just be how it seems.

[Spazito]

11. It is interesting the Post left out an important tidbit...

or at least I couldn't find it in the article and that is:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The lawmaker who will head a House inquiry into trips that lobbyist Jack Abramoff arranged for Tom DeLay has his own links to the lobbyist.
At one point, Abramoff touted Rep. Doc Hastings’ relationship with his firm in a pitch to a prospective client.
As chairman of the House ethics committee, Hastings, R-Wash., could play a big role in determining DeLay’s future. DeLay, the House majority leader, has asked the panel to review his travels, which include trips arranged by Abramoff while the lobbyist worked for the Seattle-based Preston Gates firm.
Abramoff cited close connections to Hastings in a 1995 letter to the Northern Mariana Islands government in which he urged the government to hire his firm. At the time, Hastings served on a House subcommittee that oversaw the Marianas and was considering Democratic proposals to impose minimum wage, immigration and other U.S. laws on the Pacific commonwealth, which opposed them.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-lobbyist-hastings,1,3517591.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true