DeLay criticizes FBI for "running amok" in investigations against him and his wife

We've got a nice episode here of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is from The Hill:

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) is calling on the Justice Department either to drop its investigation of his wife and former political associates or else to bring charges quickly.

DeLay said he has given the FBI documents exonerating his wife, but an associate of the former lawmaker said that agents have followed up with a fresh round of subpoenas.

The inquiry appears to be focused on determining whether DeLay’s wife, Christine, earned her pay from two organizations controlled by Ed Buckham, a lobbyist once closely affiliated with the former Republican leader, according to sources interviewed by federal investigators. Several former employees of the groups have received subpoenas for documents, some in the past few weeks.

DeLay told The Hill that he gave the FBI documents and computer records proving his wife was a legitimate employee of ARMPAC, a fundraising committee, and Alexander Strategy Group, a lobbying firm once controlled by Buckham.

The Justice Department’s persistence shows it has run amok, DeLay says, echoing a charge leveled last week by Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) in response to reports that he is under federal investigation.

“They’re not going after me,” DeLay said of the FBI. “They’re going after other people and they’re questioning the other people about whether they know anything I may have done. And we’ve given them all the records and that’s the problem they’re having.”

DeLay said the evidence shows that his wife did not accept improper payments: “She did her work and she was underpaid for the work she did and they can’t make the case. It’s a Justice Department that is running amok. Fish or cut bait. Do something.”

What is important to understand here is that the FBI is starting to burrow into the details of this corruption case, trying to determine who specifically did what to whome. The Alexander Strategy Group is connected with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay and his wife, and even hired Julie Doolittle, the wife of Congressman John Doolittle, as a bookkeeper for a non-profit organization that Buckham created. John Doolittle is being investigated for his connections with the Abramoff scandal. Doolittle's name has surfaced in the corruption probe involving defense contractor Brent Wilkes and former congressman Duke Cunningham. With DeLay's case, the FBI wants to know what type of work Christine performed for Buckham. According to the Hill:

DeLay said neither he nor his wife is the target of the investigation. But sources contacted by the FBI or familiar with the probe say Christine seems very much in the agency’s sights. The FBI has asked former ARMPAC and Alexander Strategy Group employees what work Christine DeLay did.

“They were really focused on Christine DeLay and whether she was doing anything that would warrant her salary,” said one person contacted by agents.

The Washington Post reported that Buckham’s lobbying firm, Alexander Strategy Group, paid Christine DeLay a monthly salary of about $3,300 between 1998 and 2002.

ARMPAC, DeLay’s leadership political action committee (PAC), which was also tied to Buckham, paid her and her daughter, Dani DeLay Ferro, about $350,000 in consulting fees and expenses between 2001 and 2006, according to the Post.

Buckham employed ARMPAC’s executive director, Jim Ellis, as a consultant at Alexander, and staff of the two organizations shared an office building in Georgetown. Former DeLay associates described Buckham as a leader at ARMPAC.

The FBI has subpoenaed Ferro and investigators have questioned former DeLay associates about her work for ARMPAC. But the focus is mostly on Christine, sources say. Ferro refused to comment.

One source familiar with the investigation said federal officials have given immunity to at least one senior member of DeLay’s political circle who may now be cooperating with investigators. Former associates of the majority leader say investigators are apparently attempting to indict DeLay for corruption by proving that Buckham sought to influence him with unearned payments to his wife.

[....]

A person still close to DeLay said a wealth of evidence proves Christine played an important role at ARMPAC and deserved her salary.

“There are dozens of people who will demonstrate that Christine DeLay was a central cog in DeLay’s political world and was a, if not the, key adviser of ARMPAC,” said the source. “No major decision affecting DeLay was made without Christine being the protector.”

The last thing that Tom DeLay would need is to be directly connected with this corruption probe, or to even have his wife and daughter indicted in this probe. DeLay has already been indicted by the state of Texas on charges of money laundering. So DeLay is attacking the Justice Department for conducting this investigation, and is hoping that the FBI will quickly drop this case. Either way, it is going to be interesting to watch how this case turns out, especially since we have one senior member of DeLay's political circle that is cooperating with the FBI here. Stay tuned.

Olbermann's Special Comment--DeLay's Delusions

Keith Olbermann gave a small Special Comment on yesterday's Countdown program, regarding Tom DeLay's books No Retreat, No Surrender. Let's start with the Special Comment from YouTube:



And here is the transcript:

The quote, with the context sucked out from around it, is astonishing.

In a new book, former Republican leader of the House Tom DeLay writes, “Liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler.”

But, restore the context, as with anything else, and you change the meaning of any quote.

In this case, you make it worse.

Mr. DeLay is comparing how he’s been treated to how the world was treated by Hitler and the Nazis.

The book is called “No Retreat, No Surrender: One American’s Fight.”

It has been officially out for nearly two weeks, and it has not cracked The New York Times top 30.

So the fact of this one quotation, first noted only last week by The Jewish Daily Forward, could have easily slipped through the cracks.

But even though nobody seems to be reading his book, Mr. DeLay is nonetheless referring to what he calls a lie — the accusation that he violated campaign-finance laws in Texas, for which he was indicted.

And on page 156 he writes:

I believe it was Adolf Hitler who first acknowledged that the big lie ...

Look, stop right there, Mr. DeLay.

If you’re going to throw around Hitler’s name, research the reference, huh?

As suggested on The Huffington Post, we have many useful Internet search engines now.

If you type in “Big Lie, Hitler” into the one called “Google,” you get 1,320,000 results.

I believe it was Adolf Hitler who first acknowledged that the big lie is more effective than the little lie, because the big lie is so audacious, such an astonishing immorality, that people have a hard time believing anyone would say it if it wasn’t true.

You know, the big lie — like the Holocaust never happened or dark-skinned people are less intelligent than light-skinned people. Well, by charging this big lie about money laundering, liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler.

OK, where do we start here?

Let’s try the gentlest interpretation.

Mr. DeLay believes that the accusation that he violated Texas campaign finance laws is on some kind of par with claims that light-skinned people are more intelligent than dark-skinned people.

Now that’s the gentlest one.

The somewhat less kind interpretation?

He’s equating anybody, charging him — just him — with anything, even if it were a lie, with the Nazis.

Just by going after Tom DeLay, you are like that old “scoundrel” Hitler.

So Tom DeLay is as important as — what? — democracy in 1930s Germany?

Poland in 1939?

The Jewish people?

So Mr. DeLay, go back to your Google and type in the name “Tom DeLay” and the phrase “Delusions of Grandeur.”

And you get 11,500 results.

I find it amazing the Tom DeLay has the audacity of comparing liberals to Hitler. But it is not surprising. DeLay is pandering his book to a minority here--the hard-lined, right-wing conservative wackos and Religious Right extremists who will support him, regardless of anything Tom DeLay ever does. To think that DeLay's money-laundering indictment is a liberal lie that is akin to any "big lie" that Adolf Hitler ever told is outrageous. It is delusional.

But then again, Tom DeLay has shown himself to be a liar with this very book that he is comparing liberals to Hitler. Let's not forget this little hypocritical lie that DeLay told Hardball's Chris Matthews back on March 22, 2006:



Tom DeLay....Delusional.

DeLay can't seem to remember--or even read--what he wrote in his own book

This story is just coming out all over the blogosphere--we're talking Ryeland on DKos, Kos, Crooks and Liars, Carpetbagger Report, and Shakespeare's Sister. Yes, we're looking at another incredible episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour!

It appears that our hero, The Bug Exterminator himself, Tom DeLay, had decided to appear on Chris Matthews Hardball to promote his new book, No Retreat, No Surrender. In that lovely conversation with Matthews, a small detail comes up about how DeLay wrote that former GOP representative Dick Armey was "drunk with ambition." DeLay corrects Matthews in saying Armey was blinded by ambition. So let's go to YouTube to witness this political tit-for-tat:



I just have to laugh at how The Bug Exterminator himself, got caught not even knowing what he wrote in his own book. And when Chris Matthews even showed DeLay the passage written in the pages of his own book, DeLay couldn't read it because he didn't have his glasses with him. Is there a difference between the two cliches "drunk with ambition," and "blinded by ambition?" I don't know, and I really don't care. But this whole farce of DeLay still claiming that he wrote, or meant, that Armey was "blinded by ambition," rather than was printed on the very pages of his own book really shows a sense of hypocrisy in DeLay--he still refuses to admit when he is wrong about anything! Even to something as simple as a cliche in his own book--a really bad cliche at that! And when Matthews shows the actual passage in his book, DeLay claims he still can't read the passage, and admit the mistake, because he doesn't have his glasses with him.

Un-frickin-believable!

You can read the entire transcript of the show here. MSNBC has the entire video of the show here.

Texas Republicans abandon DeLay fight

Looks like it is a sad day on The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is from Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - Texas Republicans on Monday abandoned their court fight to replace former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on the November ballot after being turned back at the Supreme Court.

The decision came after Justice
Antonin Scalia rejected Texas Republicans' request to block an appeals court ruling saying DeLay's name should remain on the ballot.

"I think all our legal avenues are exhausted in terms of affecting the ruling prior to the election," said Jim Bopp Jr., the attorney who argued the Republican Party's case to allow party officials to substitute another candidate for DeLay.

Under indictment on money laundering charges in Texas, DeLay won a March primary election that made him the Republican nominee for Congress from his home district near Houston. In June, he resigned from Congress and said he would not seek re-election.

Democrats had sued to keep DeLay on the ballot, with the former lawmaker's legal troubles becoming a symbol for claims of Republican corruption.

DeLay and Texas Republican Party Chairwoman Tina Benkiser were not immediately available for comment.

Benkiser's effort to replace DeLay on the ballot was turned back in a series of court decisions that reached a climax Monday at the Supreme Court. She had sought a delay of an appeals court ruling until Republicans could formally ask the Supreme Court to review the case.

The request was routed to Scalia, who handles appeals from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The New Orleans-based appeals court last week sided with Democrats' claims that, if DeLay is eligible to run but drops out of the race, the Republican Party cannot substitute another candidate.

Less than three hours later, Scalia turned down the request without comment.

So DeLay's name is going to have to stay on the Texas ballot for this November. I do find it ironic for the Republican Party here. When Representative Bob Ney announced his withdrawal from the race, the Republican Party has the opportunity to legally replace Ney with another candidate, as according to Ohio election laws. However, with Tom DeLay, the Republicans tried to use the courts as a means to force DeLay's name off the ballot--and the Republicans failed miserably.

Talk about politics here.

Court: DeLay's name remains on ballot

I think it is time for another exciting episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is from Yahoo News:

AUSTIN, Texas - A federal appeals court panel on Thursday refused to let Texas Republicans replace Tom DeLay's name on the November congressional ballot.

The finding upheld a July ruling by a federal judge that the ballot must list DeLay, who won a March primary before resigning from Congress on June 9. He now lives in Virginia but is awaiting trial in Texas state court on money laundering and conspiracy charges alleging that illegal corporate cash helped pay for legislative campaigns in 2002.

The Republicans' lawyer said he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Republicans want to pick another nominee to face Democrat Nick Lampson in November. Democrats sued to keep DeLay on the ballot. Keeping him on the ballot presumably gives them an easier race and bolsters their attempts to make the indicted former House majority leader their symbol for claims of Republican corruption.

Thursday's ruling said that GOP state chairwoman Tina Benkiser acted unconstitutionally when she tried to remove DeLay as the party nominee because he had moved.

Democrats had noted that DeLay's wife, Christine, still lives in the DeLays' house in Sugar Land, just outside Houston.

While the U.S. Constitution requires a candidate to live in-state, the question is where he is residing on Election Day, not now, said the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"DeLay could be a current resident of Virginia ... and nonetheless move back to Texas before November," the opinion said.

The Republicans are in a real pickle here. Obviously they wanted to pull DeLay's name off the ballot--after he won the March primary--and replace it with someone not connected with the scandals that are wreaking the Republican Party. So they tried to use this little trick in saying DeLay's moved out of Texas (even though his wife still resides there), and that he is ineligible to run. Of course, there is no telling whether DeLay stays in Virginia, or if he moves back to Texas before Election Day. The Democrats obviously want to keep DeLay on the ballot as a "poster child" for Republican Party corruption and scandals. And the federal court ruled that DeLay's name must stay on the ballot.

This is getting interesting.

Texas Republicans Boost DeLay's Legal Fund

Republican Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas. REUTERS/FOX News Channel's 'Your World with Neil Cavuto'/Handout

Folks, it is time for another exciting episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is off Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom DeLay raised more money to pay legal fees after abandoning any effort to return as majority leader than he did in the immediate months following his indictment in Texas last year on money laundering charges.

DeLay, R-Texas, received lots of help in boosting his legal defense fund from Texas financiers of Republican causes, corporations and fellow members of Congress. But he spent as much as he raised during the first three months of 2006.

DeLay, a 22-year veteran, announced earlier this month that he is resigning by mid-June.

He raised $314,435 between January and March while awaiting trial on the Texas charges and spent $312,465, most of it on legal fees. In the previous three months, he raised $182,000 and spent $239,000.

Isn't it just SO NICE to hear that Tom DeLay is getting lotsa help from his corporate friends? But it gets better. Continuing on:

One contributor was Houston home builder Bob Perry, the chief financial backer of Swift Boat Veterans of Truth, which campaigned against Democrat
John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race. Perry and his wife Doylene contributed a total $10,000 to DeLay's legal fund.

James Leininger and his wife Cecilia pitched in an equal amount. Leininger is a San Antonio doctor who advocates private school vouchers and backs like-minded politicians. Ex-Houston mayor Bob Lanier contributed $5,000.

DeLay paid $280,000 to lawyers, with $125,000 going to the Dallas office of the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani and $110,000 to Dick DeGuerin, a Houston attorney.

He spent about $18,000 on a Washington fundraiser.

Laser Shot Inc., a Stafford, Texas, producer of firearms simulators, contributed $5,000. Contributing an equal amount were BNSF Railway Co. of Topeka, Kan.; Panda Energy Management Inc. of Dallas; Maxxam Inc. of Houston and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. of North Carolina.

I just have one interesting little question to ask here. What did these guys get from Tom DeLay, that would cause them to contribute these large sums of money to his defense fund? What are they getting back in return? What legislative goodies did they get while DeLay was the House Majority leader?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Hammered: What I Saw at the Republican Revolution

I found this interesting op-ed piece in the Washington Post. The piece is written by John Feehery, who was Tom DeLay's communications director from 1995 to 1998. Now I know that Freehery's piece is going to be biased in favor of Tom DeLay, but there are some details in here that deserve some commenting on. Consider this:

For the next 3 1/2 years, I experienced the Republican revolution firsthand, witnessing the rise of Tom DeLay and the beginnings of one of the more remarkable political downfalls in modern U.S. history. Today, everyone wants to know what Tom DeLay knew and when he knew it. And I can't answer those questions.

But I do know that Tom DeLay achieved great things for the Republican majority, the Congress and for the country. He also created great controversy caused in part by his own aggressive nature, in part by his political enemies, and in part by rogue members of his own staff.

The overwhelming majority of DeLay's staffers were professional, honest and working in Congress for the right reasons. But Tom prized the most aggressive staffers and most often heeded their counsel. As it turned out, three of them went over the line, abused the trust of House members and seemingly broke the law. A former hockey player, Tony Rudy was DeLay's enforcer; he wasn't evil, but lacked maturity and would do whatever necessary to protect his patron. Ed Buckham, DeLay's chief of staff, gatekeeper and minister, constantly pushed DeLay to be more radical in his tactics and spun webs of intrigue we are only now beginning to unravel. And Michael Scanlon, who, in my experience, was a first-class rogue and a master of deception.

People like Rudy and Scanlon pleased DeLay because they were always pushing the envelope; only now that the scandal surrounding lobbyist Jack Abramoff is playing out and both are cooperating witnesses for the prosecution are we beginning to learn how far they went. I don't know if Tom always knew what his staff was doing -- I know that I didn't. But I had my suspicions, and now I have seen them borne out.

Feehery then goes about describing specific instances of how Rudy, Buckham, and Scanlon pushed DeLay over the line with their aggressive agenda, all while poor Tom DeLay was being played out by these Machevellian courtiers.

But I have a problem with Freehery's assessment that Tom DeLay is an innocent guy, that Tom DeLay was given the run-around by his crooked staff. Tom DeLay was just as crooked as Rudy, Buckham, and Scanlon. It was Tom DeLay who engineered the redrawing the districts in the Texas state legislature, at the expense of the Democrats, and DeLay was involved in laundering corporate contributions and channeling them towards Texas state races, it was DeLay who engineered the K-Street Project. Mr. Freehery, are you saying that DeLay is innocent of these allegations--that it was really the result of his crooked staff members? Power corrupts. Tom DeLay wanted power--enormous power to make Washington bend to his will, his ideology, his desire. And he found individuals in his staff who were just as power hungry as he was, willing to follow him in their own lust for greed and power.

The lust and greed for power is what brought Tom DeLay down--not by rogue staff members.

Gov. Perry says he won't call special election to replace DeLay

This is off the KHOU Channel 11 News website, in Houston Texas. Yes, it is another thrilling episode of The Tom DeLay Show! Tonight's episode--Will DeLay Delay? From KHOU News:

AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday he won'’t call an emergency special election to replace resigning Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, meaning candidates for the suburban Houston congressional seat will have to wait for the November election.

Rep. DeLay, who is under indictment in Texas on charges of criminal conspiracy and money laundering, announced this week that he will resign sometime before mid-June.

"“If I don'’t get [DeLay'’s letter of resignation] by close of business tomorrow, the election will be in November," Perry said Thursday.

Gov. Perry has the authority to call an emergency special election anytime or wait for the next uniform election date, which is May 13. Rep. DeLay would have to resign this week for a May election. After that, the next election date is Nov. 7.

So it is up to Tom DeLay to submit his resignation to Gov. Perry before the end of business day Friday. Which brings up an interesting point--Will DeLay submit his resignation to allow Perry to call for the special election? If DeLay does submit his resignation, this certainly allows Perry to call the special election, and it allows the Republicans to choose a replacement candidate for the November elections. There are plenty of Republicans that have expressed an interest in DeLay's seat, as I've posted here. A second option would be to allow a committee of select precinct chairmen from the four counties in the 22nd District to replace DeLay. And anyone these chairmen would select is certainly going to work at getting re-elected.

So there is some strategizing going on here. The question I have is what is DeLay going to do about his congressional seat? How does he plan on maintaining the control of his seat within the Republican Party, and perhaps within his own influence?

It is going to be an interesting Friday.

Delay Supporters Crash Democrat's Event

This is going to get ugly. From Yahoo News:

SUGAR LAND, Texas - Supporters of U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay protested at an event Thursday held by the Democratic candidate for the congressman's seat, and the event quickly dissolved into a shouting and shoving match. Police were called, but made no arrests.

Here's some video on the event:



Found through Eschaton

"I got pushed. I got hit. I got a sign wadded up in my face and my hat pulled down over my eyes," said Marsha Rovai, 69, a supporter of Nick Lampson. "They just did it to be nasty."

DeLay campaign manager Chris Homan said he organized the protest but DeLay, a Republican, didn't know about it.

"Mr. Lampson is going to have to get used to being confronted about his voting record the next seven months," Homan said.

DeLay, who is under indictment on campaign finance charges, announced this week that he will resign from Congress sometime before mid-June.

At the news conference, Lampson called on the governor to set a May 13 special election so the district would be represented after DeLay leaves.

But moments after the event began in DeLay's home town, Lampson and his supporters were surrounded by protesters who held up hand-written signs. Lampson was silenced by their chanting.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry later said that, unless DeLay offers him his resignation letter by the end of the week, the seat would not be filled until the November general election. The election of a Democrat now could give the Democratic Party a leg up in November.

Lampson represented an adjacent district for eight years until DeLay-engineered redistricting cost him re-election in 2004. He said the protest was nothing new.

I especially love how DeLay's campaign manager Chris Homan said that this type of violent protests will be nothing new. Homan even had the audacity to practically blame Lampson for this violence due to Lampson's voting record? Excuse me Mr. Homan, Nick Lampson is not the currently elected representative of the 22nd District--TOM DELAY was the current representative, until he was forced to resign due to corruption charges filed against him. Mr. Homan--YOU organized the protest, and YOU let this protest get out of hand. This violence was a result of YOUR ACTIONS! In other words, Mr. Homan--YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MESS!

Don't try to blame Nick Lampson for it.

Republicans Look to Replace DeLay

This is off Yahoo News:

HOUSTON - Republicans hoping to fill the seat of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay stepped forward Tuesday as the 11-term lawmaker said he would resign, leaving the Texas district whose boundaries he drew.

Within hours of DeLay's announcement, several Republicans contacted party officials about getting on the Nov. 7 ballot. Among the potential candidates: Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, who worked with Houston's mayor to help the city absorb Hurricane Katrina refugees, and the county's tax collector-assessor, Paul Bettencourt.

A committee of select precinct chairmen from the four counties that comprise DeLay's 22nd Congressional District will select a nominee to replace him.

The issue of who will represent the Republican-leaning district between DeLay's departure and the election is unclear.

If DeLay had resigned effective this week, Gov. Rick Perry could have called a special election for the next uniform election date, May 13. The next uniform election date is Nov. 7, though Perry could call an emergency special election before then.

The Republicans' new nominee would have to be selected well before the November election to have time to raise money and campaign. Lampson had $1.4 million cash on hand as of Feb. 15. DeLay had nearly $1.3 million, which he can transfer to his legal defense fund for his upcoming money-laundering trial.

Eric Thode, the outgoing GOP chairman of Fort Bend County, the largest area of DeLay's district, said a special election would be open to candidates of any party, but the district still favors a Republican.

"My Republican dog would win that election," Thode said, calling a special election "an innocuous and extremely expensive waste of time."

In addition to Eckels and Bettencourt, other possible GOP candidates are attorney Tom Campbell, who won about a quarter of the GOP primary vote against DeLay last month; Republican state Reps. Robert Talton and Charlie Howard; Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace; Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and former state District Judge John Devine.

I'm not sure what I can add to this, except that the Republicans are now in a tizzy, trying to figure out who should replace DeLay on the November ballot. It is like an open primary for the Republicans, where a nominee has to be selected with a week or so. And this nominee is not going to be selected by the Republican voters in the 22nd District, but rather by the precinct chairmen from the counties that comprise the 22nd District.

Can you say back-room dealing here?

Some more interesting details on DeLay

Here is some more interesting details regarding Tom DeLay. Some of these details I've also seen through the blogosphere, but haven't commented on them. This is from The Washington Post, titled Federal Probe Has Edged Closer to Texan:

The pending resignation of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), once one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington, comes amid a federal criminal investigation that already has reached into his inner circle of longtime advisers.

The picture appeared to darken further last week with the guilty plea of Tony C. Rudy, DeLay's former deputy chief of staff. Edwin A. Buckham, the lawmaker's former chief of staff and his closest political and spiritual adviser, was described in court documents filed in the case as someone who collaborated with Rudy, Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former DeLay aide Michael Scanlon. They arranged payments, trips and favors that the department's investigators charged were part of an illegal conspiracy, according to the documents.

DeLay himself was formally designated as "Representative #2" in the documents, a title that cannot be considered a good omen. The lawmaker designated in the same documents as Representative #1 -- Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) -- has been cited by the Justice Department as having received "things of value" for performing official acts.

Ney has not been formally named a target of the probe and denies wrongdoing. But he agreed last October to sign a Justice Department document waiving the five-year expiration of the statute of limitations on any alleged crimes until late April.

So it appears that not only have the feds targeted Tony Rudy with his guilty plea, but they are also sighting on another former DeLay chief of staff, Edwin A. Buckham. It appears that Buckham collaborated with Rudy, Abramoff, and Scanlon in arranging these trips and favors for congressional lawmakers. And since Rudy had just pleaded guilty, Rudy will certainly be talking to the feds about Buckham's role in this corruption probe. In other words, the feds are gathering evidence to nail Buckham. If Buckham is charged in this probe, there is also a good chance that he may also plead guilty and cooperate with the feds in exchange for a lesser sentence.

The little fish are being taken down in preparation for the big fish.

And we have two big fish here. One is certainly Tom DeLay. But the court documents are also linking DeLay's good friend Rep. Bob Ney in this corruption probe. That is certainly not good for Ney--who is also claiming his innocence in the probe. But I find it especially interesting that Ney signed a waiver, regarding the expiration of the statute of limitations on any alleged crimes--it is almost like Ney knows he is going to eventually be caught in this probe. So he is trying to cover his bases by making a deal with the feds now--before indictments are handed down.

Now here is another interesting piece of information from the WaPost:

DeLay has assembled a substantial legal team to fight back, and he has a defense fund -- financed largely by corporations with business before Congress -- that contained more than $600,000 at the end of last year, based on the cumulative record of its receipts and contributions. But contributions to the fund dropped from $318,000 to $181,500 between the third and fourth quarters of 2005.

DeLay also is entitled under federal election rules to convert any or all of the remaining funds from his reelection campaign to his legal expenses, whether or not he resigns, is indicted or loses the election. Election lawyers say one advantage of bowing out of the election now is that the campaign cash can be converted to pay legal bills immediately, instead of being drained in the course of a bid to stay in office.

As of Feb. 15, when his campaign filed its most recent report with the Federal Election Commission, DeLay had $1,295,350 on hand. But that was two weeks before the Texas primary in which DeLay bested three Republican rivals to win renomination, and the pot of money available to him now may be considerably less.

By stepping aside so early in an election year, a lawmaker "wouldn't be spending to be reelected" and could transfer the funds immediately to fend off any federal charges, said lawyer Kenneth A. Gross, a former head of the FEC's enforcement division. The last lawmaker to gain the FEC's formal approval for such a transfer was Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who resigned last November after pleading guilty to evading taxes and accepting bribes.

Cunningham and DeLay shared a major contributor, Brent Wilkes

That is one big incentive for Tom DeLay--withdrawal from the House race, and then use your campaign funds to pay for your legal expenses. Contributions to his legal defense fund, from corporations and business interests, have also dropped significantly. You have to wonder if the corporations don't want to see themselves linked towards defending Tom DeLay--especially during a midterm election year. So DeLay may need a big infusion of cash, so he can hire his big-name defense team to defend him from both the Texas money-laundering charges he is currently faced with now, but also against the possible future federal indictments against him in the congressional corruption probe. DeLay could have used this $1.2 million in his re-election campaign, but that money would have been wasted if Buckham is indicted and would agree to cooperate with the feds, forcing DeLay to be indicted. A federal indictment against DeLay before Election Day would destroy DeLay's political campaign.

There is so much more here to talk about. More to come.

Video of DeLay's Withdrawal

Crooks and Liars has the video of Tom DeLay's withdrawal announcement. Now Crooks and Liars noted how shaky DeLay's hands were, when he presented his withdrawal. And it is true--DeLay's hands do seem to move a bit, and shake, showing perhaps nervousness on DeLay's part. But I want to call on another observation in this video, and that is the background. Look at the background in this pic of DeLay's televised speech:

Office of Tom Delay, via Associated Press

Look at the props in the background. There is a seal for the House of Representatives hanging in the background and the Texas star, with the letters "UH," on the bookshelf. I'd say the letters UH represents the University of Houston, where DeLay attended for his bachelors. And above that star is the space shuttle, which could represent Johnson Space Control Center in Houston Texas. The American flag isn't just hanging to the left, but it is slightly draped across the bookshelf, or table. It is almost like the flag is slightly fluttering in the wind. The American flag is also partially covering the UH star's frame--but not the star itself. Could the GOP spin-meisters be wrapping the American flag around the state of Texas--as represented by the UH star? You've got a picture of DeLay's daughter Danielle(?) right next to him, to where the viewers can see her. There are two other statues on the other side of DeLay's desk. One small statue appears to be an elephant--representing the Republican Party? I can't say what the other statue is.

So this set is actually rich in symbolism, showing either the real, or perceived, accomplishments of Tom DeLay. I have to wonder if this is also a message to DeLay's Republican supporters--especially to the Republicans in the 22nd District. The background set could be DeLay's way of telling his constituents, "This is what I gave you during my time in the House." And more, it could be a way of telling his constituents not to throw it all away by electing Democratic candidate Nick Lampson. In his televised address, Delay said:

Having served under Republican and Democrat control in the House, I know first hand how important it is for Republicans to maintain their national majority. A Democrat Congress in 2007 would, without doubt or remorse, raise hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes, summarily cut and run from the war on terror, and immediately initiate an unconstitutional impeachment of President Bush.

So even DeLay is reiterating the same remarks that a vote for the Democrats would be a vote for impeaching Bush, and a vote for the terrorists. Amazing.

The political spin continues on.

The Official DeLay Announcement

Video image provided by Rep. Tom DeLay's office shows Delay announcing in Houston, Monday, April 3, 2006 his intention to resign from Congress. (AP Photo/Rep. DeLay's office)

Yes, we've got a Tom DeLay Comedy Hourmarathon going here. This is a whopper of a story here. From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, April 4 — Representative Tom DeLay, the relentless Texan who helped lead House Republicans to power but became ensnared in a corruption scandal, said publicly today that he had decided to leave Congress.

"After many weeks of personal, prayerful thinking and analysis, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to close this public service chapter of my life," Mr. DeLay said in a statement issued this morning. He added that the time had come to open "new chapters" and to "engage in the important cultural and political battles of our day from outside the arena of the United States House of Representatives."

He said that he would relocate to Virginia, living closer to Washington to help make a "successful transition" from public to private life.

"I have no regrets today and no doubts," Mr. DeLay said. "I am proud of the past, I am at peace with the present and I'm excited about the future, which holds as always America's brightest days and mine, too."

Mr. DeLay's decision was first reported Monday by MSNBC and by Time magazine, which posted an interview with him on its Web site, as did The Galveston County Daily News.

Of course, this is the PR-spin regarding DeLay's departure. But there is more to this story regarding why DeLay decided to leave. DeLay's answer as to why he left is pretty much political spin. In the Time article, Delay says:

DeLay got a scare in a Republican primary last month, and a recent poll taken by his campaign gave him a roughly 50-50 shot of winning, in an election season when Republicans need every seat they can hang onto to avoid a Democratic takeover of the House.

"I'm a realist. I've been around awhile. I can evaluate political situations," DeLay told TIME at his kitchen table in Sugar Land, a former sugar plantation in suburban Houston. Bluebonnets are blooming along the highways. "I feel that I could have won the race. I just felt like I didn't want to risk the seat and that I can do more on the outside of the House than I can on the inside right now. I want to continue to fight for the conservative cause. I want to continue to work for a Republican majority."

DeLay may have been worried about his falling poll numbers to Democratic challenger Nick Lampson, but I don't believe that was enough to make him quit. This guy is a political fighter, who will do anything to win at all costs--they didn't call Tom DeLay "The Hammer" for nothing. DeLay saw this race as a personal challenge to his high profile position. DeLay has repeatedly labeled Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle as embarking on Democratic partisan attacks with Earle's indictment on money-laundering charges against DeLay. And even though DeLay had to give up his House Majority Leadership post after being indicted, there was no way that DeLay was going to give up his seat in the House. So there is more here.

DeLay announced his withdrawal just thee days after his former chief of staff, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to corruption charges in the Jack Abramoff scandal. And not only did Rudy plead guilty, but DeLay's former press secretary Michael Scanlon also pleaded guilty in the Abramoff case, and we certainly know that Abramoff is talking to the feds. Consider this on the Time article:

One DeLay ally said that the lawmaker had been considering leaving Congress since he gave up his leadership post in January and that he had been persuaded to make the break last week, when his former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to corruption charges. He was also said to have been influenced by troubling poll numbers in his district in the Houston area.

With Mr. Rudy's guilty plea last Friday, he became the second former DeLay aide to admit wrongdoing in the corruption investigation centered on Mr. Abramoff, who has also pleaded guilty to conspiring to corrupt public officials, including members of Congress.

Mr. Abramoff, Mr. Rudy and the other aide, Michael Scanlon, who had been Mr. DeLay's press secretary in the House, are all cooperating with the Justice Department, which is investigating whether Mr. DeLay and other members of Congress accepted travel, gifts or money from Mr. Abramoff and his associates in return for legislative favors.

Mr. Rudy's plea agreement, which covers actions he took on Mr. Abramoff's behalf both while on Mr. DeLay's staff and after leaving the House to work as a lobbyist, did not allege any wrongdoing by Mr. DeLay or say that Mr. DeLay knew of any criminal activities by Mr. Rudy.

All three--Rudy, Scanlon, and Abramoff--are talking to the federal prosecutors. And you can bet that the feds are especially interested in the K-Street Project, which DeLay engineered as a means of forcing the K-Street lobbying industry to deal exclusively with the Republicans in Congress. So the heat is bearing down on DeLay, just as he's fighting the money-laundering charges in Texas, and he's fighting a tough re-election campaign against a Democratic challenger, who was planning to make full use of the scandals in attacking DeLay.

Now we come to this interesting scenario. DeLay is fighting a tough re-election campaign. The time is around September of this year. As a result of Rudy, Scanlon, and Abramoff's cooperation, federal prosecutors hand down indictments against DeLay in the continuing corruption scandal in Congress. Such a move would destroy DeLay's campaign. This is what forced DeLay to pull out. In fact, with DeLay pulling out now, this could provide a means for the Republicans to still choose a candidate to replace DeLay for this year's elections. Consider this from The Washington Post:

The timing of DeLay's resignation could affect how the seat is filled.

Depending on when DeLay steps down, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) could call a special election to fill the vacancy. It would be up to local GOP officials to replace DeLay formally on the ballot in November, but party officials say that the winner of a special election -- assuming it is a Republican -- would almost certainly be placed on the fall GOP ballot.

Republicans said that, with DeLay gone, they have a much better chance of holding the seat. Although redistricting took some Republicans out of the district, Bush won 64 percent of the vote there in 2004. According to GOP sources, one almost-certain candidate is Sugar Land Mayor David G. Wallace. Tom Campbell, who was second to DeLay in the primary with 30 percent of the vote, said last night he would run in any special election.

I wonder if some high-placed GOP party officials reminded DeLay of this scenario? The GOP evaluated the deteriorating situation with DeLay, and then realized that they needed to pull DeLay out of the race and replace him with a fresh Republican face. Otherwise, the Republicans would risk losing DeLay's seat to Lampson.

I'm sure there will be more details coming out in the next couple of days. And I'm sure I'll be posting some more on DeLay later on--I haven't even critically looked at DeLay's comments yet from the Time article. So there will still be more to come.

Some more thoughts on DeLay's withdrawal

Here are some more thoughts on DeLay's withdrawal. I'm now skimming through the different news sites, looking into other details regarding this story. Here is something from the Washington Post:

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), a primary architect of the House Republican majority who became one of the most powerful and feared leaders in Washington, told House allies tonight that he will resign from the House rather than face a reelection fight that appears increasingly unwinnable.

The decision came just three days after his former deputy chief of staff, Tony C. Rudy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and corruption charges, telling federal prosecutors of a criminal enterprise being run out of DeLay's leadership offices. Rudy's plea agreement did not implicate DeLay in any illegal activities, but by placing the influence-buying efforts of disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff directly in DeLay's operation, the former aide may have made an already difficult reelection bid all but out of reach.

[T]he separate federal corruption probe stemming from Abramoff's activities drew closer to DeLay, first eliciting a guilty plea from DeLay's former press secretary, Michael Scanlon, then from Abramoff, whom DeLay once described as "one of my closest and dearest friends."

The more I think about this, the more I wonder how much more is there to this story. DeLay quitting because he thinks he might lose his seat to Nick Lampson in the re-election campaign? This doesn't seem like "The Hammer," which DeLay has been nicknamed for his take-no-prisoners / political warfare style. What interests me here is that DeLay is stepping down, just three days after Tony Rudy pleaded guilty to conspiracy and corruption charges, and Michael Scanlon pleaded guilty on November 21, 2005, per this CNN story. In fact, the CNN story also reported that Scanlon would agree to testify against Abramoff, which certainly would have been a factor in Abramoff's guilty plea in the federal corruption probe on January 4th. We know that Abramoff has also agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in their congressional corruption probe. Also remember, Tony Rudy will cooperate with federal prosecutors in their investigation as well. DeLay's close friend Jack Abramoff, and his two former staff members have been convicted by the federal prosecutors, and are now cooperating with those federal prosecutors--you have to wonder what these guys are telling the feds regarding DeLay.

So I'd say that DeLay was feeling the heat of this corruption probe bearing down on him. DeLay is fighting a tough re-election campaign here. First, he has become the poster boy for the Republican corruption scandals coming out, and both the Democrats and Republicans know this. Delay's Democratic challenger Nick Lampson has made DeLay's scandals a centerpiece for his own campaign to challenge Delay, and the polls are showing that Lampson has a credible chance in beating DeLay. Finally, DeLay is also awaiting trial in Texas State Court on charges of money laundering, which is independent of the federal corruption investigation. A federal indictment of corruption charges, handed down against DeLay before the November midterm elections, would have been a political disaster for the DeLay campaign. So now I have to wonder if DeLay's withdrawal is a means to allow the Republicans to find a replacement who is not corrupted by the Abramoff scandal, and who could maintain Republican control of DeLay's former seat.

UPDATE HERE: I found this off The New York Times:

[DeLay's] decision was first reported Monday by MSNBC and by the Web site of Time magazine, which had posted an interview with Mr. DeLay, as did The Galveston County Daily News. "I'm very much at peace with it," Mr. DeLay told Time of his decision.

He told the Galveston paper he planned to step down from his seat by late May or June.

Exclusive: Tom DeLay Says He Will Give Up His Seat

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) attends the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Maryland, in this February 10, 2006 file photo. Delay, the embattled former Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, will drop out of his congressional reelection race and leave Congress, U.S. media reported on April 3, 2006. (Larry Downing/Files/Reuters)

Time Magazine has got the scoop on The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! From Time:

Rep. Tom DeLay, whose iron hold on the House Republicans melted as a lobbying corruption scandal engulfed the Capitol, told TIME that he will not seek reelection and will leave Congress within months. Taking defiant swipes at "the left" and the press, he said he feels "liberated" and vowed to pursue an aggressive speaking and organizing campaign aimed at promoting foster care, Republican candidates and a closer connection between religion and government.

"I'm going to announce tomorrow that I'm not running for reelection and that I'm going to leave Congress," DeLay, who turns 59 on Saturday, said during a 90-minute interview on Monday. "I'm very much at peace with it." He notified President Bush in the afternoon. DeLay and his wife, Christine, said they had been prepared to fight, but that he decided last Wednesday, after months of prayer and contemplation, to spare his suburban Houston district the mudfest to come. "This had become a referendum on me," he said. "So it's better for me to step aside and let it be a referendum on ideas, Republican values and what's important for this district."

The surprise decision was based on the sort of ruthless calculation that had once given him unchallenged dominance of House Republicans and their wealthy friends in Washington's lobbying community: he realized he might lose in this November's election. DeLay got a scare in a Republican primary last month, and a recent poll taken by his campaign gave him a roughly 50-50 shot of winning, in an election season when Republicans need every seat they can hang onto to avoid a Democratic takeover of the House.

"I'm a realist. I've been around awhile. I can evaluate political situations," DeLay told TIME at his kitchen table in Sugar Land, a former sugar plantation in suburban Houston. Bluebonnets are blooming along the highways. "I feel that I could have won the race. I just felt like I didn't want to risk the seat and that I can do more on the outside of the House than I can on the inside right now. I want to continue to fight for the conservative cause. I want to continue to work for a Republican majority."

In other words, Tom DeLay looked at the writing on the wall, and realized he was not going to win. Had he continued to run his re-election campaign, he would continue to be tainted as the poster child for Republican Party corruption in Washington. His campaign has become a referendum for Republican Party corruption--no matter how desperate DeLay wants to change the issues. Continuing on with the exclusive:

Putting the best face on the poll taken by his campaign, DeLay said it gave him "a little bit better than a 50/50 chance of winning reelection." Asked if that didn't mean that he could lose, he replied, "Could have. There's no reason to risk a seat. This is a very strong Republican district. It's obvious to me that anybody but me running here will overwhelmingly win the seat."

DeLay said he is likely to leave by the end of May, depending on the Congressional schedule and finishing his work on a couple of issues. He said he will change his legal residence to his condominium in Alexandria, Va., from his modest two-story home on a golf course here in the 22nd District of Texas. "I become ineligible to run for election if I'm not a resident of the state of Texas," he said, turning election law to his purposes for perhaps on last time. State Republican officials will then be able to name another Republican candidate to face Democrat Nick Lampson, a former House members who lost his seat in a redistricting engineered by DeLay.

Lampson has made a major issue of the lobbying scandal, and his campaign home page has a petition headed, "Tell Tom DeLay to Return the Dirty Money!," referring to contributions from he and his political action committees have received from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a one-time DeLay ally who pleaded guilty in January to three felonies, including conspiring to defraud clients and bribe public officials.

First, DeLay is heading for Alexandria Virginia--you can bet K-Street is going to pick him up! DeLay's withdrawal is both a blessing, and a curse for both political parties. DeLay was a high profile target, caught in an ensuing corruption scandal. His withdrawal takes away that high profile status that the Democrats would have used in their campaign strategy. The Time article claims that Nick Lampson made an issue of the DeLay scandal in his challenge. Now that DeLay is gone, Lampson will have to readjust his campaign strategy.

But it is not all roses for the Republicans. With DeLay now gone, they will need to find a replacement to run for DeLay's seat. And not only will the Republicans have to find a viable replacement, but they will also have to quickly put together a working campaign staff, an election strategy, and quickly generate funding for this replacement candidate's campaign--all within 7 months, and while Lampson will certainly be attacking such a candidate. This will be a difficult feat--even for the Republicans. I'm not sure they can do this.

This is a huge turn of events.

Former DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty

Tony Rudy, a former deputy chief of staff to Rep. Tom Delay, leaves Federal Court in Washington, Friday, March 31, 2006. after pleading guilty to conspiracy and promised to cooperate with the governments investigation of lobby fraud. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

Folks, it's time for another exciting episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! From Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - A former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy and promised to cooperate with a federal investigation of bribery and lobbying fraud that has so far netted three convictions and prompted calls for ethics reform in Congress.

Tony Rudy, DeLay's former deputy chief of staff, admitted to conspiring with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff both while Rudy worked for DeLay and after he left the lawmaker's staff to become a lobbyist himself.

He faces up to five years in prison, but could receive much less based on the extent of his help with the investigation, U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle told Rudy at a court hearing in Washington.

As a top aide to DeLay in his role as House majority leader, Rudy took payments from Abramoff in 2000, then helped stop an Internet gambling bill opposed by Abramoff's clients, according to court papers.

Later, while working as a lobbyist, Rudy also was extensively involved in arranging a golf trip to Scotland for Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), described as Representative 1, and congressional staffers, the court papers said.

The plea agreement contains no allegations that DeLay, who it describes as Representative 2, did anything wrong.

As part of the deal, Rudy pleaded guilty to the single conspiracy count and prosecutors agreed not to pursue other possible charges against him or his wife.

This is big news here. In other words, Tony Rudy decided to save his own skin and cooperate with the feds. Even more amazing, this story is coming on the heels of Jack Abramoff's sentencing yesterday. This corruption case is starting to break open. What is happening here is that the people involved carrying out the details of these scandals--Tony Rudy, Michael Scanlon, and even Jack Abramoff--have had to face a really stark choice from the federal prosecutors: Either tell us what you know about this corruption scandal, or we're going to pin this on you for the maximum jail time allowed. None of these aids want to spend 5-10 years sitting in a prison cell. So they are talking.

Will Tony Rudy be able to implicate Tom DeLay in this scandal? I can't say, although I'm pretty sure Rudy can provide some juicy details regarding DeLay's involvement. Rudy's greater asset may be in providing details that will allow the feds to go after other congressional aids and lobbyists. Consider this:

Ney's lawyer, Mark Tuohey, said a guilty plea by Rudy doesn't change Ney's situation. The congressman continues to maintain his innocence. Tuohey said he hadn't seen the court papers filed Friday and couldn't comment in detail on them.

Court papers say Rudy sent an e-mail inviting Ney and his then-chief of staff Neil Volz to Scotland in 2002, promising golf and "drinking and smoking Cubans." Ney contends he thought the trip was properly paid for by a GOP policy group for a legitimate international parliamentary event.

"Mr. Rudy had nothing to do with Mr. Ney's Scotland trip at all, nothing," Tuohey said. When asked whether Rudy could have sent the e-mail invite, he said, "If he did, I haven't seen it."

Ney is cooperating with Justice Department requests for information. For example, Ney spokesman Brian Walsh said the Ohio Republican has provided prosecutors with stacks of receipts to prove he and his staff paid for their own food at Abramoff's downtown Washington restaurant. Ney also has said he was duped by Abramoff into entering statements on the Congressional Record in support of Abramoff's purchase of a fleet of Florida casino boats.

After leaving DeLay's office, Rudy first joined Abramoff's lobbying team at the Greenberg Traurig law firm. Soon after, he signed on with another former DeLay staffer, Ed Buckham, at the Alexander Strategy Group.

Rudy sent an email inviting Bob Ney and his then-chief of staff Neil Volz to Scotland in 2002. Whatever details Rudy gives regarding this Scotland trip, could allow federal prosecutors to pressure Volz into cooperating. And you can bet the feds will be interested in Rudy's relationship with Ney. Not only that, but Rudy also worked at the Alexander Strategy Group with another former DeLay staffer, Ed Buckham. I'm sure the feds would like to know what was going on over at the Alexander Strategy Group.

Everything is inter-connected. This corruption probe that has been coming is based on the cozy relationships between the Republican congressmen, their congressional aids, and the lobbyists. And the congressional aids are really the glue that holds this corruption scam together. They develop the relationships with their Republican senators and representatives while working on the Hill. It is this marketability of their relationships that allows these former Hill staffers to land the plum jobs with the top lobbying and legal firms. The staffers become the conduits in cementing their relationships between the Republican congressmen and the lobbying groups. Money--and the power that comes from its access--becomes the incentive for all three interests. For congressmen, it is campaign contributions to fund their continued congressional careers. For the staffers, it is the multi-million salaries and the lifestyles of the ubber-rich and powerful. And for the lobbying firms, it is the hundreds of millions in lobbying fees they can charge their business clients, and expand their lobbying business. The more successful all three have become in this relationship, the more money and power they all seek to desire.

Power corrupts.

DeLay Says Justices 'Don't Get' Criticism

Hey, we've got ourselves another fun episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is from Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - Republican Rep. Tom DeLay said Tuesday that former and current Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg "don't get it" when they complain about conservative criticism of judges.

"All wisdom doesn't reside in ... people in black robes," DeLay said.

In recent weeks, O'Connor has said the criticism has threatened judicial independence to deal with difficult issues such as gay marriage. Ginsburg said in a speech that a Web threat against her and O'Connor was apparently prompted by Republican proposals in Congress that tell judges to stop relying on foreign laws or court decisions.

Ginsburg said such actions by Congress "fuel the irrational fringe."

"Didn't you see the comments of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Ginsburg over the last couple of weeks?" DeLay, R-Texas, asked reporters after a speech to a group of Christian conservatives. "There's still a problem, they don't get it. There are three branches of government. All wisdom doesn't reside in ... people in black robes."

Earlier, the former House majority leader told activists he agreed with their premise that there is a "war on Christianity.

"Our faith has always been in direct conflict with the values of the world," DeLay said. "We are, after all, a society that provides abortion on demand, has killed millions of innocent children, degrades the institution of marriage, and all but treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition."

DeLay was forced to abandon his job as majority leader while facing indictment on charges that he improperly funneled corporate donations to Republican candidates for the House and amid questions about his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay speaks during a news conference regarding federal funding to help Houston law enforcement Tuesday, March 21, 2006, in Houston.

I can't even make this stuff up. O'Conner and Ginsburg don't get it? All wisdom doesn't reside in people in black robes? Our faith is in direct conflict with the value of the world, which treats Christianity like a second-rate superstition? A "War on Christianity?" How much Kool-Aid has DeLay been drinking?

What really scares me is that DeLay is screaming this extremist rhetoric towards a group of Christian conservatives. And that is what this stuff is--hate-filled rhetoric. It worries me that this hate-filled rhetoric is being drilled into some Christian right wing-nut ideologue, who will then commit a heinous crime--such as the assassinating a Supreme Court justice. We've seen pro-life extremists and ideologues assassinate doctors who have performed abortions, bombed abortion clinics, and have even placed wanted posters on pro-life websites of abortion doctors which included private details such as home addresses and phone numbers. Even now, both O'Conner and Ginsburg have received death threats--the links to these stories can be found here, here, here, and here. And it is not just DeLay that is responsible for instigating these threats. In this Editor & Publisher news story, published in January 27, 2006, conservative columnist Ann Coulter joked that, "We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee." This is absolutely uncalled for. And it is this type of rhetoric from DeLay, Coulter, Pat Robertson, and others within the Republican right wing-nut faction that reinforces their brainwashed followers to commit crimes such as the murder a federal judges' family in Chicago by a white supremacist.

We don't need this kind of crap.

DeLay wants concealed handgun permit back

It is time for another fun-filled episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour!
This is from Yahoo News:

RICHMOND, Texas - Rep. Tom DeLay is fighting to regain his concealed handgun permit after it was suspended because of his indictment on felony charges.

A justice of the peace suspended DeLay’s license in January after the former majority leader was indicted last year. A judge dismissed a conspiracy charge, but DeLay still faces a felony charge of money laundering.

Under state law, the Texas Department of Public Safety can suspend a handgun license if its holder has been charged with certain misdemeanors or higher.

DeLay, a vocal gun rights proponent, has appealed the suspension and has asked for a new hearing after missing a Jan. 26 court date.

What the frack is Tom DeLay doing, running around Texas with a concealed handgun?

DeLay Wins Four-Way Battle for Nomination

Well, here's the story on Yahoo News:

SUGAR LAND, Texas - Rep. Tom DeLay won the GOP nomination to the House on Tuesday, beating three challengers in his first election since he was indicted and forced to step aside as majority leader.

That's right--It's another exciting episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! Continuing on with the story:

With 14 percent of precincts reporting, DeLay had 10,005 votes, or 64 percent. His closest challenger, environmental attorney Tom Campbell, had 4,049 votes, or 26 percent.

"I have always placed my faith in the voters, and today's vote shows they have placed their full faith in me," DeLay said in a statement. "Not only did they reject the politics of personal destruction, but they strongly rejected the candidates who used those Democrat tactics as their platform."

After voting in his hometown of Sugar Land, DeLay returned to Washington for a campaign fundraiser hosted by two lobbyists. He criticized his opponents for their "politics of personal destruction," saying such tactics "were rejected just like they will be in November."

The Democratic nominee in the fall will be Nick Lampson, a well-financed former congressman ousted from office in 2004 under the new congressional map engineered by DeLay. Lampson had no primary opponent Tuesday.

DeLay "gets headlines for all the wrong reasons," Lampson said Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to that headline on November 8th: 'No Further DeLay.'"

Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, leaves his office on Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 7, 2006 in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

I love how DeLay is trying to frame this as a Democratic Party's "politics of personal destruction." Excuse me Mr. DeLay, you were caught laundering money from national Republican Party political campaign contributions to the Texas State Republican Party and Republican candidates in state races--a BIG NO-NO as according to the Texas election laws. And you got caught. There's no politics of personal destruction here--just corruption on your part.

Now the Republicans did have a chance to dump DeLay here, and avoid the Democratic Party attacks that the Republicans practice the politics of corruption by choosing a Republican candidate that is not tainted by scandal. But I guess the Republicans in Texas want to stand by their man. What does this mean? It means that the DeLay money laundering trial has just become an election issue--perhaps even on a national scale. Any information that comes out will be used by both political parties--the Democrats in tainting DeLay as being corrupt, and the Republicans by trying to defend DeLay with their claims of "Democratic politics of personal destruction." The best that the Republicans can hope for is that the American public will be scandal fatigued by November.

The trouble with this thinking is that there are a lot of scandals going through Washington these days--DeLay, Abramoff, Katrina, Iraq intelligence, Scooter Libby, Valerie Plame, Portgate. And they are all connecting back towards the Republican Party--towards Congress and the Bush White House. Look at how the current poll results have been dropping for the Republicans. The longer this stuff stays on the front of the news media, the worst it is going to get for the Republicans. For these continued revelations of scandal and corruption will reinforce the idea that the Republican Party is out of touch with America, that they are selling out to the corporate interest or big lobbyists. That is not a good message to defend against as November creeps up. And remember, the Scooter Libby trial hasn't started yet, nor have any indictments of Republican congressmen been handed down as a result of the Abramoff investigation. The Abramoff investigation could really blow up in the Republican faces if further indictments are handed down by late September or October. So these are all potential land mines, and they all can destroy Tom DeLay's political comeback.

We'll just have to see what happens soon.

DeLay to Attend Lobbyists' Fundraiser

It's been a long while since we've had a fun-filled episode of The Tom DeLay Comedy Hour! This is from Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON - Rep. Tom DeLay, whose association with lobbyist Jack Abramoff has left him politically vulnerable, is spending Texas' primary night Tuesday at a fundraiser hosted by two Washington lobbyists.

DeLay faces three opponents in the Republican primary. For the first time in the 22 years he's held office, he is up against a serious challenge after being forced out of his job as House majority leader amid corruption and campaign finance scandals.

The fundraiser is being held by lobbyists Bill Paxon and Susan Molinari, both former members of Congress from New York. The event will raise money for DeLay's re-election campaign.

DeLay spokeswoman Shannon Flaherty said DeLay would be in Washington for votes and has other events on his schedule including the fundraiser. She said he was unavailable for an interview.

Paxon said if DeLay were to go to Texas for the primary, he would be criticized for leaving Washington while Congress was in session. The House is scheduled Tuesday evening to give final approval to the Patriot Act.

You just can't keep a good crook down. Now I can understand why DeLay would stay in Washington to vote for the Patriot Act, rather than be down in Texas for the primary. But now while in Washington, on the night of the Texas primary, DeLay is still playing the hooker for money. Now DeLay is up against three Republican challengers--what if he loses to one of them? What is he going to do with all that money he raised for his re-election campaign--transfer it to The Tom DeLay Defense Fund? Continuing on:

DeLay's toughest primary challenger, attorney Tom Campbell, criticized the congressman's election night plans.

"I think it's amazingly ironic and callous he would be spending election night with a group of lobbyists," Campbell said. "I don't think he understands how unhappy constituents are with what appears to be a trade of principle for power."

Entry to the fundraiser costs $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000 for political action committees and $500, $1,000 and $2,100 for individuals, according to an event invitation.

DeLay is awaiting trial in Texas on money laundering charges stemming from an investigation of corporate contributions to that committee.

DeLay has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has labeled the Texas investigation a political witch hunt.

DeLay has been behind in the fundraising race against the Democrat he would oppose if he wins Tuesday.

In reports filed with the Federal Election Commission late last month, DeLay had raised about $153,000 between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, compared with $248,000 for Nick Lampson, a former congressman. DeLay had about $1.3 million cash on hand as of Feb. 15, while Lampson had $1.4 million. Since then, he has raised another $172,000 for his campaign.

Republican Campbell has reported raising about $79,000 between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, with $17,200 cash on hand. Since then he has reported raising $8,900.

You know, the irony is that if DeLay loses in this Texas primary, it would actually help the Republican Party by removing one of their most scandal-ridden members in the House. Texas would be an open race between a new Republican candidate that may not be tainted by scandal, and the Democrat Nick Lampson. But if DeLay wins the Texas Republican primary, this gives the Democrats an advantage in that they can continue to taint the Republicans as corrupted since the Texas Republicans continued to elect DeLay, who is facing trial on corruption and money laundering charges. And once DeLay's trial starts, it is going to be covered by the press, and the Democrats. Any new developments and evidence that comes out from the case, could be politically damaging to DeLay's re-election. If the Republicans know what is good for them, they would kick out DeLay, and thus remove one of the poster-boys of Republican corruption in Washington.

We'll have to see what happens today.