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Jewish World Review May 5, 2005 / 26 Nissan, 5765 GOPers have lots of ammo to fire in ethics ‘war’ Dems started By Jack Kelly
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Democrats in Congress are
beginning to find out.
Rep. Norman Dicks (D-Wash) has reimbursed the Spectrum Group, a defense
lobbying firm, $571 for food and lodging in Fort Lauderdale in February, the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Tuesday. It is against House rules for
a lawmaker or staffer to accept gratuities from lobbyists, though non-profit
groups may pay for their travel expenses.
The AP reported the same day that expenses for a trip Reps. James Clyburn
(D-SC) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss) took to the Northern Mariana islands in
1996 were paid by Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist currently under criminal
investigation.
The Washington Times reported April 20th a lobbying firm paid the $3,336 tab
for a trip Rep. Stephanie Tubbs (D-OH) and her husband took to Puerto Rico
in 2001.
Dozens of congressmen of both parties are rushing to amend their travel and
campaign records, the Washington Post reported April 26th.
This is fallout from the effort by Democrats and their allies in the news
media to paint House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Tex) as "corrupt."
Delay is a shady character, Democrats say, because he has hired members of
his family to work on his campaigns and for his political action committee,
and he's gone on trips paid for by lobbyists.
But it's not against House rules, much less against the law, to hire family
members with private funds, and many other lawmakers have done it.
Three overseas trips taken by Delay are under scrutiny. One, to South Korea
on 2001, was sponsored by the Korea-U.S. Exchange Council, which later
registered as a foreign agent. But other members and staff were on that
trip, including a senior aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal),
who was the only congressional traveler to fail to file the required
paperwork.
The other trips, to Russia and Britain in 2000, were sponsored by the
National Center for Public Policy Research, a legitimate non-profit.
Abramoff was on its board. He put Delay's expenses for the London trip on
his credit card, and was reimbursed by the foundation. It isn't clear
whether this is a technical violation of House rules, or if Delay was aware
of it at the time.
It is clear Delay is a piker when it comes to congressional travel.
PoliticalMoneyLine, a nonpartisan watchdog group, released a study April
27th that showed members of Congress have taken 5,400 official trips at a
cost of $16 million over the last five years. The top ten travelers all
were Democrats. Delay was tied for 114th place, with 15 trips.
Democrats and liberal journalists want to destroy Delay because he's been an
effective leader. He isn't nicknamed "the Hammer" for nothing. By heaping
charge upon charge, they hope to damage Delay's reputation and make him a
liability for the GOP.
One can consider Delay's closeness to lobbyists unseemly, as I am inclined
to do. But what is sauce for the goose ought also to be sauce for the
gander. If it is wrong for Delay to hire family members to work on his
campaign, then it is wrong for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Cal) to do so. If it
is all right for Pelosi to take trips funded by private groups, then it is
all right for Delay to do so.
Journalists know full well that these activities are commonplace, but they
make it seem as if only Delay were engaging in them. The hypocrisy is
breathtaking.
It's important to remember that despite all the smoke Democrats and their
allies in the news media are blowing, there is no evidence Delay has
knowingly violated a House rule, much less broken a law.
Meanwhile, journalists overlook evidence of actual felonies...if they've
been committed by Democrats.
You haven't read much about it, but David Rosen, finance chief for the
campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), will go on trial soon for
collecting a massive amount of campaign contributions he knew were illegal.
It's possible Clinton didn't know about the illegal activities Rosen
undertook on her behalf. It's possible I'll win the lottery. But that's
not the way to bet.
Republicans don't have the news media in the tank for them, as Democrats do.
But they do have a lot of ammunition to fire in the ethics "war" Democrats
have started. What goes around comes around.
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© 2005, Jack Kelly |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
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