The
Associated Press reported today that more questions have arisen about Tom DeLay's ethics as a result of the federal investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Over the last few weeks, we've been inundated with stories about his indictments, but when is the House leadership going to do something about the ethical cloud swirling around Tom DeLay? DeLay has been admonished three times by the House Ethics Committee. He still faces further ethics investigations in that committee. But how will we get to the truth? If you haven't done so, I encourage you to sign my petition to appoint an independent counsel to investigate Tom DeLay's ethics.
More on the flip.
From the
AP:
Rep. Tom DeLay's staff tried to help lobbyist Jack Abramoff win access to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, an effort that succeeded after Abramoff's Indian tribe clients began funneling a quarter-million dollars to an environmental group founded by Norton.
"Do you think you could call that friend and set up a meeting," then-DeLay staffer Tony Rudy wrote to fellow House aide Thomas Pyle in a December 29, 2000, e-mail titled "Gale Norton-Interior Secretary." President Bush had nominated Norton to the post the day before.
Rudy wrote Abramoff that same day promising he had "good news" about securing a meeting with Norton, forwarding information about the environmental group Norton had founded, according to e-mails obtained by investigators and reviewed by The Associated Press. Rudy's message to Abramoff was sent from Congress' official e-mail system.
Within months, Abramoff clients donated heavily to the Norton-founded group and the lobbyist and one of the tribes he represented won face-to-face time with the secretary during a September 24, 2001, dinner sponsored by the group she had founded.
It seems a week can't go by without more scandal coming out about Tom DeLay. And these revelations certainly give the impression of an access for favors situation between Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff that goes against everything our government is supposed to stand for. Tom DeLay should've been more concerned about his constituents here in Texas and less concerned about pleasing Washington lobbyists of very questionable character who offer him expensive box seats at basketball games, free dinners in their four star restaurants, and all-expense paid golfing trips to Scotland. It's time for an independent counsel to get the truth.
Thanks for all of your support.
-Nick
Lampson for Congress
P.S. I also encourage folks to read this excellent write-up in USA Today on the race in TX-22.