NYT: 10 Ex-G.O.P. Lawmakers Attack Changes in Ethics Rules

[huckleberry]

By PHILIP SHENON and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Published: April 15, 2005

WASHINGTON, April 14 - Ten former members of Congress, all Republicans, joined in a letter to the House leadership on Thursday to say they believed that revisions in House ethics rules this year were an "obvious action to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay" from investigation. They said the changes needed to be reversed "to restore public confidence in the People's House."

snip

The letter may be another blow to Mr. DeLay, who is under investigation by a grand jury in his home state, Texas, and is facing growing calls from fellow Republicans to answer accusations involving his financial ties to lobbyists and his management of his political and campaign committees.

snip

The letter was not the only development Thursday with possible implications for the majority leader. Representative George Miller, Democrat of California, asked the House Resources Committee to examine the work of Jack Abramoff, a longtime lobbyist friend of Mr. DeLay, in representing the government of the Northern Mariana Islands, an American commonwealth in the Pacific.

In 1995, Mr. Abramoff, with Mr. DeLay's help, persuaded the House to defeat a bill that would have stripped the Marianas of their exemption from federal minimum wage and immigration laws. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Miller said, more than 85 members of Congress and Congressional aides, including Mr. DeLay, traveled to the Marianas; Mr. Miller and others have cited news reports suggesting that lobbyists may have paid for the trips, a possible violation of House rules.


more at -
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15delay.html

[napi21]

1. So Mark Andrews signed it. Wonder who the other nine were?

It could be significant if they are the RIGHT people! I suspect one of the nine was Gingrich because he's already spoken out about this issue.

[UpInArms]

2. here are the names

Apart from Mr. Andrews, those who signed the letter were John H. Buchanan of Alabama, M. Caldwell Butler of Virginia, Paul Findley of Illinois, Bud Hillis of Indiana, James Johnson of Colorado, Richard W. Mallary of Vermont, Wiley Mayne of Iowa, Pete McCloskey of California and G. William Whitehurst of Virginia.

Several were described during their Congressional careers as moderates; the letter was drafted by Mr. McCloskey, who was often described as a Republican maverick and who supported Senator John Kerry last year over President Bush.

[napi21]

4. Hmmm. I don't know any of 'em. Guess the letter won't have

the impact I was hoping for.

[Javaman]

3. Funny how they come out now and not when it was up for vote...

[NVMojo]

5. I suppose the full weight of DeLay's abuse was not yet revealed??

Our Nevada idiot Congressman Jim Gibbons, the one who thought we should use liberals against the war as human shields in Iraq, supported this change in the ethics rules for DeLay. Karma is a cool thing to watch when it comes full circle and hits liars in the ass.

[struggle4progress]

6. The Republicans are hedging their bets. Did you hear ...

Christie Whitman a few weeks back -- busily playing the game "Oh, there are lots of concerned moderate Republicans" but refusing to take any real stand against the extremists? It's just a strategic ploy: they're all extremists ...

[MrTriumph]

7. Christie Whitman: Yesterday's Darling now Fool of the Year

Wow! She writes a book anticipating W will get beat. She and her publisher get it out just as the election has ended so Christie can seize the mantle of Republican moderates everywhere while hoping she can spin her tenure heading the EPA into something it wasn't (protecting the environment). Everything was looking good. Oops!

Fundies scared of gay marriage run to the polls and Christie goes on a book tour spewing talking points as if Bush had lost. Crown her Fool of the Year.

When interviewed on Public Radio and given a chance to appeal to Democratic moderates, instead she launched into a verbal assault on all Democrats and promised moderate Republicans (isn't that an oxymoron?) will rush to her aid ..blah ... blah ...

And that's the last anyone need hear of Christie Whitman.

[Zorra]

9. Exactly! Anytime a thug says something that appears decent and

reasonable, it is a ploy - they always have sinister ulterior motives.

Everyone should have learned by now that we can never, ever trust a republican.

[struggle4progress]

10. I certainly don't trust Whitman after the bilge I heard from her. eom

[Johnyawl]

8. Pete McClosky was a congressman from CA from 1968-1982

He was a moderate and an enviromentalist. He was also an ex-Marine who ran a brief primary campaign against Nixon in 1972. He's always been a maverick and a free thinker, and the repugs will pay no heed to him whatsoever. Hell, they're not gonna listen to ANY moderate.