Just when you thought ethics allegations concerning Tom DeLay couldn't get any sleazier, Peter Stone of National Journal uncovered a new DeLay fundraising scandal last weekend. Specifically Stone delves into DeLay's close ties with Jack Abramoff, the super lobbyist, who along with his wife personally contributed $40,000 to DeLay's campaigns and ARMPAC, which is DeLay's political action committee. You will need a subscription to read the entire Stone article, but here are some of the key highlights:
From 1997 through early 2004, Abramoff and his wife personally contributed $40,000 to DeLay's campaigns and his political action committee, ARMPAC, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Further, at least two of Abramoff's American Indian tribe clients, the Louisiana Coushattas and the Saginaw Chippewas, donated $38,000 to ARMPAC.
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"To the casual observer, it was a pretty simple deal," recalls one former GOP House leadership aide. "Jack raised money for the pet projects of DeLay and took care of his top staff. In turn, they granted him tremendous access and allowed him to freely trade on DeLay's name."
House travel records and interviews with GOP lobbyists suggest that Abramoff curried favor with DeLay and tried to boost his clients' causes through trips. As far back as 1997, Abramoff accompanied DeLay on foreign excursions to such places as London, Moscow, and the Northern Mariana Islands. In at least one instance, on a trip to England and Scotland in mid-2000, congressional gift rules may have been violated; Abramoff apparently filed a report with his law firm showing he picked up some of DeLay's expenses.
The trip's sponsor was the National Center for Public Policy Research, a little-known conservative think tank on whose board Abramoff served until several months ago. The 2000 trip,from May 25 to June 3, mixed business with pleasure. DeLay had a meeting with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and conservative leaders in Scotland, and played golf at Scotland's storied St. Andrews.
According to the House travel records filed by DeLay's office -- and verified separately by the center -- the center picked up roughly $28,000 in expenses for DeLay and his wife,Christine, as well as $28,000 for DeLay's then-Chief of Staff Susan Hirschmann and her husband, and $14,000 for DeLay aide Tony Rudy, who, some two years later, joined Abramoff as a lobbying partner at the firm Greenberg Traurig. Total expenses for the trip were close to $70,000.
Here is the key House rule in question:
Under House gift rules, a member, officer, or employee may not accept travel expenses from a registered lobbyist, agent of a foreign principal, or a lobbying firm. The rule stipulates that the prohibition applies even when the lobbyist, agent, or firm is later reimbursed for those expenses by a non-lobbyist client.
"It's clear from House rules that while a member may accept reimbursement for travel from certain sources, they may not receive travel expenses from a registered lobbyist, agent of a foreign principal, or a lobbying firm," said Stan Brand, a former House counsel and a partner at the law firm Brand & Frulla.
According to the report Naitonal Journal has copy of an expense voucher for that trip to England in mid-2000.
You can read about this story and all developments concerning DeLay, including civil trials involving his PAC in Texas in David Donnelly's blog -
the Daily DeLay. David has posted his take on a story in this morning's Washington Post, which is reporting how
DeLay may be feeling the heat from people who matters the most - constituents from his own district.
