WP: DeLay Trip Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card

[Pirate Smile]

DeLay Trip Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card

By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 24, 2005; Page A01

A plane trip to London and Scotland in 2000 by then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number.

DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls, and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip.

House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists. DeLay, who is now House Majority Leader, has said that his expenses on this trip were paid by a nonprofit organization, and that the financial arrangements for it were proper. He has also said he had no way of knowing that any lobbyist might have financially supported the trip, either directly or through reimbursements to the nonprofit organization.

The documents obtained by The Washington Post, including receipts for his hotel stays in Scotland and London and billings for his golfing during the trip at the famed St. Andrews course in Scotland, substantiate for the first time that some of DeLay's expenses on the trip were billed to charge cards used by the two lobbyists. The invoice for DeLay's plane fare lists the name of what was then Abramoff's lobbying firm, Preston Gates & Ellis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12416-2005Apr23.html

[Zynx]

1. Oooooh, good stuff.

[KittyWampus]

5. This One Really Just Keeps On Giving.

[MADem]

31. Can we say "pants on fire???"

From the same article:

Multiple sources, including DeLay's then-chief of staff Susan Hirschmann, have confirmed that DeLay's congressional office was in direct contact with Preston Gates about the trip itinerary before DeLay's departure, to work out details of his travel. These contacts raise questions about DeLay's statement that he had no way of knowing about the financial and logistical support provided by Abramoff and his firm.

(Here's hoping she sings like a canary to the Ethics Committee!)
And, to ice the cake, he LIED about the value of the kickback, er, factfinding trip:

The new receipts obtained by The Post add more detail about these expenses, make clear that the total expenses for all of the participants were at least $50,000 more than was previously known, and connect Abramoff directly to the payment of some charges.

[ebayfool]

49. Factfinding on a golf course? We can say "pants on fire" & then some!

"... billings for his golfing during the trip at the famed St. Andrews course in Scotland..."

[MADem]

52. Great course, not easy...and sure as hell not cheap! n/t

[rodeodance]

64. did he wear the kelts that are also listed?

[mod mom]

73. Wasn't this the trip that Bob Ney (R-OH), Chairman of the House Administra

-tion Committee, (which by the way oversees Federal elections) attended also? We need to get these corrupt thugs out of office, and also OUT OF OUR ELECTIONS!

[Roland99]

2. Smoking gun?

[Paul Dlugokencky]

87. Cha-Ching!

http://www.cafepress.com/kickindemocrats

[Spiffarino]

3. Another crack in the foundation

Just a few more swings of the wrecking ball and it'll be over.

I wonder how "The Hammer" feels now that blunt instruments are being turned on him.

[NYC Liberal]

4. Sorry - this is all made up by 'leftist organizations'

that are out to 'demonize' him.

</sarcasm>

[xray s]

6. Two round trip first class tickets to Scotland; $5300

Round of golf at St Andrew's Olde Course, $300

Dinner of haggis and cock-a-leekie soup; $50

A pair of kilts and a new bagpipe; $2,500

Tom Delay hoisted on his own petard; priceless.

[Cha]

18. PRECISELY!

[leftchick]

60. lol! Indeed!

:popcorn:

[ima_sinnic]

72. coffee spew!

:rofl:
:popcorn:

[nytemare]

81. You know, that might be a good suggestion to Move on.org

for a commercial.

[AlCzervik]

7. and Delay will say "I didn't know" i wonder if his in-room porn got

charged to the same card.

[Roland99]

10. "I didn't know" is not an excuse according to the article

House ethics rules contain detailed provisions barring the acceptance of any travel funds from private sources if doing so would "create the appearance of using public office for private gain." They also obligate lawmakers to "make inquiry on the source of the funds that will be used to pay" for any travel ostensibly financed by a nonprofit organization -- to rule out the acceptance of reimbursements that come from one organization when a trip is "in fact organized and conducted by someone else."

[AlCzervik]

15. Why you liberal smear merchant! How dare you point out the flaw in his

anticipated excuse!

:evilgrin:

[Roland99]

22. I know...I know...I know the drill.

:spank:













;)

[rodeodance]

67. the "i did not know" excuse does not work for NO PARKING areas

either-in a court of law-the augument is that a responsible citizen SHOULD know (open our eyes and LOOK).

[aquart]

78. Nonsense. Republicans are allowed to be endlessly ignorant.

Some would even say, required.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. So when is Tommy going to start bashing

credit card companies and complaining that this is an invasion of his privacy? Of course, this is all politically motivated by the demon lefties. How dare anyone question the great all knowing always right with god Tom Delay.

[Joebert]

16. You're not referring to the credit card companies

that bought a room full of senators, are you?

The money for the bankruptcy bill should keep him quiet.

BUT, I could definitely see an employee at the credit card company being hung from the flagpole as a show of force that they won't tolerate corruption or theft.

eww, that made me feel dirty typing that one.

[pinkpops]

9. vewwy intewesting...

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. Front page of the Post

The Post's been kissing Ratface's ass for five years now, so this is significant.

PLEASE, Democrats. PLEASE. Make this our Watergate......

[Cha]

12. UUUUUoooooooO..

he set his dirty feet on my homeland!

Amazing how they are tracing this with all the resources the neofascists have for coverup!

[Robbien]

13. Wait. Tom has said he barely knows that man. Abramoff?Who is that says he.

Not me, says tommy boy. its those dammed libra'ls and that libra'l media, they'alls out to get po little me.

[antonialee839]

57. Tom has said he barely knows that man

Now where have we heard that phrase before? Perhaps nitwit number one is coaching nitwit number two.

[Orsino]

89. He did not. Have. Financial. Relations. With that lobbyist. n/t

[Justitia]

94. HAHAHA - Good One! -eom

[NYC]

90. Apparently, that attitude is irritating Abramoff.

Can't remember where I read it, but Abramoff is not happy with the way he is being "ostracized" in this affair.

It gave me the feeling Abramoff might talk. :)

[MO_Dem]

14. Redhanded?

Whatcha gotta say now, Tommy?

[annagull]

17. Busted.

House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists.

Can't be any more plain, unless they pass a rule protecting Delay from that, too.

[AnneD]

88. I can't for the life of me

understand why he is still in office. You are right. There is evidence, in black and white. So what is it going to take to have him censured.

[XOKCowboy]

19. Is it stupidity or arrogance?

Abramoff charged it to his AMEX?? You've got to be kidding me.

Of course the NeoCons will discount it because WaPo is part of the "Left Wing Media Conspiracy". Ya know that Faux News won't report it.

[Robbien]

21. Ha! Bushbots will not read past the headline and will blame it on damned

bleedin' heart libra'ls.

They won't even get to the stage of discounting.

[Roland99]

23. Anyone care to see what the Freepers are saying?

;)

[Robbien]

26. Again Ha!

Anyone else but me first says I.

[Terre]

34. I don't think they know yet

or if they do, no one wants to be the first to post it as a new thread. hehe

[Roland99]

37. heh...we should start one for them

:evilgrin:

[Terre]

40. I was just thinking that

but it might be best coming from a DU'er that already has an account there, and hasn't been kicked off yet.

BTW, just now visited there, and still no mention of it. Either they're asleep at the wheel, or too chicken to post it.

[Roland99]

41. Chickenshit chickenhawks

[Terre]

44. It's up now

and already has 15 replies · 328+ views

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1389988/posts

Gonna go read it now - Wish me LUCK everyone!!

[Terre]

45. OK, here's a few already

I think this whole thing is an overblown smear campaign. But I agree, somebody screwed-up bigtime on this.

5 posted on 04/23/2005 9:27:39 PM PDT by wagglebee

When are these liberals and their media whores are going to realize that they have an absolute zero chance of removing Tom Delay, an absolute zero chance, period.

8 posted on 04/23/2005 9:33:29 PM PDT by jveritas

Then this story cannot possibly be true because,
1. DeLay has been around way too long to make such a rookie blunder,
2. He has an experienced staff that knows procedure, and,
3. Mostly, he knows that he has had a target on his back for at least a decade and would tend to be especially careful about such matters as junkets.

13 posted on 04/23/2005 9:38:04 PM PDT by Lancey Howard

the rest are trying to spin it, and make excuses, except for this one that has a head on his/her shoulders (Kennedy comment excepted):

If a dem did this we'd be calling for the noose, so let's not do the "they all do it" thing, huh? We're supposed to be the ones with the high ethical standards while they are the party of kennedy.
We don't have to turn our backs on DeLay to look at this and say "If this is true, he shouldn't have done it. Where is the proof it's true?"

And if it is true, will we call for the same punishment to be given DeLay as we would on Tom Daschle>

Come on, FReepers. We're always calling for an end to plea bargaining and giving favors to the party muckety mucks and the connected. Let's not lower our standards for our own--that's precisely when our standards should be highest.

And before the predictable flames come, I repeat I am not condemning him, I want the facts before I decide.

16 posted on 04/23/2005 9:44:33 PM PDT by Darkwolf

There's a definite tone of panic to the posts.

[Roland99]

46. they're going to be feasting on themselves tonight!

[Terre]

47. So true :o)

Ain't life grand?!

[Roland99]

48. Quite

:toast:

[truthisfreedom]

82. it's a bloodbath. the freepers are in complete disarray. talk about lack

of solidarity!

[LiberalFighter]

83. My rebuttal

Then this story cannot possibly be true because,
1. DeLay has been around way too long to make such a rookie blunder,
2. He has an experienced staff that knows procedure, and,
3. Mostly, he knows that he has had a target on his back for at least a decade and would tend to be especially careful about such matters as junkets.

13 posted on 04/23/2005 9:38:04 PM PDT by Lancey Howard


Why the hell would DeLay or his staff care about whether they made a blunder or be especially careful? They would have the audacity to believe that they are the majority party and can do what they please.

[proud2BlibKansan]

77. The freeper dominated board where I post

got ONE response to this article when I posted it last night. It was an 'everybody does it' defense. I am still laughing - how lame. We don't let kids get by with that escuse in elementary school LOL :rofl:

[Omegaman]

80. I just went to Spew Republic

and you would not believe some of the things they were saying, I thought their politicians were bad. They need some fresh air or some fresh meds.

[Straight Shooter]

20. Pride goeth before a very long, agonizing, tortuous, much-deserved fall.

Don't look back, Tommy, something's gaining.

[XOKCowboy]

24. When Abramoff goes down lets hope he goes down screaming

and naming names. He's just a lobbyist. He has no real power. If Delay and his boys make him a sacrificial lamb, I hope he drops dime and spills his guts.

[PurityOfEssence]

28. Yes, well rat shot DOES hurt...

But the scream often doesn't last that long...

Baxterizing seems pretty effective these days.

[rodeodance]

30. DeLay--you best get effectuated!!

DeLay, Burchfield said, "does not know how the logistics . . . were being effectuated."

[MADem]

25. Love the "two sources" cited

One was surely Ambramoff, and the other was likely his accountant!!!

These guys are singing, like canaries, so they don't end up hit by a bus on a dark street late at night!

Gotta love it....

[Roland99]

27. They'd better beef up their number of bodyguards, get some food tasters,

and avoid small aircraft.

[ArnoldLayne]

29. I Believe it is time for Cheney,Rove and Bush

to cut the old Bugman Tommy boy loose now. He is to much of a liability for their precious Republican Party and their so called moral values followers.

[neverforget]

33. Lying and thievery are part of the moral values of the Bush crowd.

How can you get rid of him when he's one of your own nd he's so good at it? :shrug:

[ArnoldLayne]

38. I think you maybe right as long as he helps to ram through

the Republican Party's agenda serving their corporate masters they will over look his moral shortcomings. What a bunch of hypocrites the Repukes are.

[Robbien]

32. It was so smart of these guys to go after Abramoff instead of a direct

attack on Delay or the Christian Coalition.

Get the money guys first, the rest will fall into the pit along the way.

[cal04]

35. DeLay Airfare Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card

The airfare to London and Scotland in 2000 for then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number.

DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip.


House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists. DeLay, who is now House majority leader, has said that his expenses on this trip were paid by a nonprofit organization and that the financial arrangements for it were proper. He has also said he had no way of knowing that any lobbyist might have financially supported the trip, either directly or through reimbursements to the nonprofit organization.

The documents obtained by The Washington Post, including receipts for his hotel stays in Scotland and London and billings for his golfing during the trip at the famed St. Andrews course in Scotland, substantiate for the first time that some of DeLay's expenses on the trip were billed to charge cards used by the two lobbyists. The invoice for DeLay's plane fare lists the name of what was then Abramoff's lobbying firm, Preston Gates & Ellis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12416-2005Apr23.html

[Pachamama]

92. Interesting Article on Abramoff and the law firm Preston Gates & Ellis

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0508/050223_news_prestongates.php

[Erika]

36. Ah, to lead the good life of a GOP power broker

Golfing in Scotland via special interests. Yet Texas is falling apart and its needy neglected. The dying will be disconnected if they don't have the $ to pay, and they keep the gurneys to the death chamber going as fast as possible. I'm sure glad I'm not GOP or a Texan.

[lanlady]

39. front page of the Sunday edition!

That's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it uh huh uh huh.

[MADem]

54. I noticed that too

Just in time for "MEET TIM RUSSERT, er, The Press" and all the morning talking head shows. And it ain't buried on page B13 either. Toast, I say, toast!

[rodeodance]

63. yes, grand it on the front page!!--I sure do hope it is on MTPress!!

[MountainLaurel]

70. Yawp

First thing I saw when I opened the paper (other than our puppy skedaddling out the front door).

Go Posties!

[Stinky The Clown]

42. Poooor Tommy ...... Pooooor, Poooor Tommy .......

How could he have known? How could life be so unfair? How was he to check who paid? Poooor Tommy. Don't we all feel bad that he's such the victim of a witch hunt.


Poooooor Tommy .... poooor, poooooor, poooooooooooooooooooor Tommy ...... :sarcasm:

:popcorn:

[antonialee839]

56. How was he to check who paid?

Yeah, that's the ticket! I can't wait to hear the doofus, or one of his minions, try to peddle this lame ass excuse on the circuit of Sunday morning talk shows . Perhaps Mr.IAMTHEGOVERNMENT should test out the "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" defense when they haul his ass into court. I know I would never dream of asking a gift giver where they got the money for my gift or how much they paid for it. That would be rude. Then again, I've never been the recipient
of oodles upon oodles of cash being lavished on me in the form of expensive trips and such.

[grasswire]

43. Is the "Ellis" related to the Bush family?

Remember? Ellis is a peripheral Bush line.

[LiberalFighter]

84. Yes... That is why JEB is John Ellis Bush

Bush family tend to have family names as their middle names.

[Pachamama]

93. Don't know about the Ellis-Bush connection, but the "Gates" is as in Bill

Gates Sr....Bill Gate's father's law firm that he founded. It was actually originally something like Shidler, McBroom Gates and it merged with Preston Thorgrimson Ellis.

Anyway, I find the connection to one of Seattle's premier law firms, including the now former General Counsel of Microsoft, Bill Neukom, fascinating.... :eyes:

Abramoff really gets around...wonder what he did for Microsoft?

[LiberalFighter]

95. bush family

George Walker Bush

Parents
George Herbert Walker Bush
Barbara Pierce

Children
George Walker Bush
John Ellis Bush
Neil Mallon Bush
It is noted by several sources that the "Mallon" name derives from Neil Mallon, a one-time president of Dresser Industries (acquired by Halliburton in 1998/merger engineered by with strong connections to the Bush patriarchy.
Marvin Pierce Bush

Grandparents
Prescott Sheldon Bush
Dorothy Walker

Marvin Pierce
Pauline Robinson

Great Grandparents
Samuel Prescott Bush
Flora Sheldon

George Herbert Walker
Lucretia Wear

Scott Pierce
Mabel Marvin

James Edgar Robinson
Lula Dell Flickinger

Great Great Grandparents
James Smith Bush
Harriet Eleanor Fay

Robert Emmett Sheldon
Mary Elizabeth Butler

David Davis Walker
Martha Adela Beaky

James Huthenson Wear
Nancy Eliza Holliday

Jonas James Pierce
Katherine Pritzl

Jerome Place Marvin
Martha Ann Stokes

John William Robinson
Sarah Coe

Jacob Marion Flickinger
Sarah Haines

[VegasWolf]

50. Why does Tom Delay hate Murika? n/t

[sonias]

51. Priceless indeed

Arrogance your face is Tom DeLay.

Sonia

[Turn CO Blue]

53. Drip, drip, drip...trickle...shower...geiser...nt

[Skittles]

55. what a stupid, arrogant bastard

I'm sure he thought he was untouchable - being in Texas he probably had good reason to think just that

[LizW]

61. Even in Texas you just can't do this

In Alabama (and I'm sure probably in Texas, too) lobbyists used to go right onto the floor of the state house and pass out checks just before a vote. That was only stopped when video of the practice was broadcast on television and the people went nuts. That's the environment DeLay comes from.

Of course, taking a pleasure trip and having it charged directly to a lobbyist's card is even worse. At least the checks were made out payable to "the John Doe Campaign Fund", so the money was laundered once before the politicians pocketed it or spent it on fun stuff.

Just goes to show DeLay's arrogance. He thought he was so untouchable that he could skip the usual money laundering practices.

[Skittles]

79. I tell you Liz, I need a popcorn machine installed in my apartment

it is a reall pleasure watching that asshole get his just desserts

[AndyTiedye]

58. Tom Delay Is A

CROOK

Have some nice Kafkaesque dreams, Tom! (this sig's for you)

[cmd]

59. How does Cong. Freedom Fries Ney fit in this

He was also on a golfing junket to Scotland with Tommy Boy. Abramoff also paid for his trip. Of course, he didn't know anything about who was paying for it.:sarcasm:

[zanne]

62. These people aren't good with money, are they?

They never seem to know where their money comes from!

[rodeodance]

65. "National Center for Public Policy Research"--I hope they look into this

group!!


House rules do not exempt such nonprofit organization board members from the prohibition on lobbyist payments for travel. They also state that this prohibition "applies even where the lobbyist . . . will later be reimbursed for those expenses by a non-lobbyist client."

.....Burchfield did not dispute that Abramoff used his credit card to pay for DeLay's plane fare, but said in a statement that "the majority leader has always believed and continues to believe that all appropriate expenses for the U.K. trip were paid by the National Center for Public Policy Research." He said that "to the extent that Mr. Abramoff put the charges on his personal credit card, Mr. DeLay has no knowledge of this. But that would be consistent with Mr. Abramoff obtaining full reimbursement from the National Center."

He said further that, in his view, Abramoff's participation on this trip as a board member meant he was permitted to pay for some of the expenses, subject to reimbursement, and that numerous court decisions recognize that different rules may be applicable to the same person acting in different capacities.

Andrew Blum, a publicist for Abramoff's lawyer and spokesman for Abramoff, did not respond to questions relating to the use of Abramoff's credit card for DeLay's plane fare. But he said in a statement yesterday that it was the National Center that "sponsored" the trip, "not Jack Abramoff." .....

[LiberalFighter]

85. They don't worry about where as long as it keeps coming in.

[sellitman]

66. It is Clintons fault...

they will say. Why bother them? :sarcasm:

[Massachusetts]

68. A round of golf at St. Andrews

PRICELESS. Wheres Dick?

[Beetwasher]

69. LOL! The Three Stooges Of Corruption!

:thumbsup:

Three stooges indeed. How could they be so blatantly obvious about it? I thought these guys were experts at corruption, turns out they're the three stooges of corruption.

[morffin]

71. Staffers fault

I just visited the Freepers board ( I need a shower! ) they are playing the old blame it on a staffer game............personal respons. my a$$

[ima_sinnic]

74. pffft!

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

75. Time to warm up the roach spray can, Delay...

He's toast. But, then again this is the era of "Repukes can do no wrong," so anything short of Delay being caught sodomizing a 10-year old boy on the 50 yard line during the SuperBowl will probably not stick.

JB

[aquart]

76. Prima facie...is that the legal term?

[Mr_Spock]

86. Fascinating...

It's not logical for him to have lied - hmmmm...

[MontageOfFreedom]

91. Credit Card companies.

Credit Card companies have always been a republican's best friend, so in this case I think its safe to assume someone will be glad to check the signed purchasing record.

After all, they can make more money off of those shady deals. It shouldn't matter to the lawyers that political lobbyist's names just happen to be on the credit card's records.