House (Ethics Comittee) Member May Face DeLay Probe Conflict

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4871212,00.html

House Member May Face DeLay Probe Conflict
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Thursday March 17, 2005 1:46 AM
By LARRY MARGASAK
Associated Press Writer
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WASHINGTON (AP) - A House ethics committee member helped raise money for a Texas political committee associated with Majority Leader Tom DeLay, presenting a possible conflict if the congressional panel investigates DeLay's role in a fund-raising controversy.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, was listed as a special guest and speaker in 2002 for Texans for a Republican Majority. While investigating DeLay's conduct last year, the House committee deferred - but did not dismiss - a complaint that DeLay, R-Texas, used the same political committee to solicit corporate contributions in violation of state law.

``Your support today will go directly to help Republican candidates in Texas successfully run and win their campaigns,'' according to one invitation from the political committee for a Sept. 23, 2002, breakfast reception with Smith and Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas. Suggested donations ranged from $25 to $10,000.

(snip)

Smith would not say whether he would remove himself from consideration of the matter.

complete story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4871212,00.html

Surprise, surprise.

A UK paper.

How much would you like to bet this goes unreported in the US?

a huge contribution from a Kansas based energy company, then slipped in language into the energy bill that exclusively, financially benefitted the company? And when it came to light it somehow also touched DeLay - and they had to strike it out of the bill - but after some really harsh coverage due to the blatantness of the "bribe" ? This guy is on the ethics committee after the "purge"? It keeps getting more Orwellian.