Democrats Reject Republican Sham Investigation of DeLay

Hang tough, Democrats. The longer DeLay stays in the limelight, the better for us. Let DeLay continue to show his true colors to the world.

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Democrats Reject Conditional Offer on DeLay Probe

Wed Apr 20, 9:43 PM ET


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives ethics committee rejected a conditional offer by Republicans on Wednesday to clear the way for another probe of Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who was admonished by the panel last year on three separate matters.


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Rep. Alan Mollohan (news, bio, voting record) of West Virginia said a Republican proposal to end a stalemate over the way investigations are conducted would undermine the ability of the panel to do its job.


"It would allow complaints to be dismissed without -- in some instances, perhaps not all -- without proper contemplation," Mollohan told a news conference.


Mollohan spoke minutes after committee chairman Doc Hastings, a Washington state Republican, said he would move to form an investigative subcommittee to "review various allegations concerning travel and other actions by Mr. DeLay" if Democrats agreed to revised changes.


Failure of Republicans and Democrats to adopt new rules has prevented the committee from functioning this year and stopped DeLay from even addressing the panel.


DeLay, a Texas Republican, was admonished by the committee last year for actions that critics denounced as strong-armed political tactics.


In recent weeks, DeLay, who denies any wrongdoing, has faced new questions about foreign trips paid by outside groups, ties to lobbyists and use of campaign funds.


Said Hastings, "We hope that Mr. Mollohan and his Democratic colleagues will agree that it's time to get on with the important work of the ethics committee."


DeLay said in a statement, "I appreciate House Republicans' continued efforts to search for a way" to get the ethics committee "up and running."


"For more than a month I've said I hope for a fair process that will afford me the opportunity to get the facts out and set the record straight," DeLay said.


The Republican-led House approved new rules for the ethics committee in January, but Democrats on the panel have refused to go along with them, saying they would make it more difficult to even initiate a probe.


House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, called the revised Republican proposal "a charade and an absolute nonstarter."


"This issue is bigger than the majority leader, it is about the integrity of the entire House now and in the future," Hoyer said.




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