Nominations for congressional repubs to be taken down w/DeLay

get your memories in check, fire up the search engines... link congressional reps who have, over the years, been linked to DeLay's Pay to Play/Slushfund politics. Why now? Because the media has such a short attention span - time to put some stuff together.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/activities/campaign.php?view=39

CREW Demands DeLay Bribery Investigation
WASHINGTON, DC -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today sent a letter to all members of the House of Representatives requesting the House Ethics Committee open a formal investigation into serious allegations of criminal activity by Reps. Tom DeLay (R-TX), Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and Joe Barton (R-TX). The complaint stems from allegations that Delay, Tauzin and Barton may have extorted payments from Westar executives in return for favorable consideration of legislation to benefit the company.

http://whpsocal.blogspot.com/2006/01/delay-doolittle-and-pombo-strike-again.html

The LA Times details how Tom DeLay disciples, John Doolittle (CA-4) and Dick Pombo (CA-11) helped blow-up the government's case against Houston millionaire, Charles Hurwitz. Hurwitz, a profligate contributor to conservative Republicans, was under investigation for his role in the collapse of a Texas savings and loan in which he owned a controlling interest. The failure of Hurwitz's United Savings Association of Texas, cost taxpayers $1.6 billion and triggered a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation investigation that attempted to recover $300 million in restitution from Hurwitz.

can you give us a few snippets?

Had no idea of the timing. Interesting, no? Did the trial touch on the Barton/DeLay angle?

I forgot this sorry excuse for a paper required that. Early on there was a mention of the Delay angle but that was several years ago. I can look later on today and see what I can find but I have to leave pretty soon. Here are some snips from yesterday and today.

**David Wittig stood -- shackled in leg irons -- before a federal judge Monday when he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for looting Westar Energy of millions of dollars. (sorry, I had to add that because it was my favorite part)

U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson fined Wittig and Lake $5 million each. Robinson ordered Wittig to pay $14.487 million in restitution and Lake to pay $2.785 million in restitution.**

It was actually a very light weight story, par for the course for this paper these days. Too much information might confuse people you know. There is more in the archives and as I said I will go look later for it.

with the giveaway (after recieving $$ from) that Barton and DeLay tried to give to Westar... b/c it would suggest that Barton was working to help the execs LOOT MORE. Interesting angle.

June 2003

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/06/politics/main557368.shtml

http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/004282.html

**A May 8, 2002, memo from Maloney to DeLay's daughter, Dani DeLay Ferro, who organizes fund-raisers for her father, said energy companies that had confirmed attendance at the golf event were Reliant Energy of Houston with $50,000; and Williams Energy of Oklahoma, Mirant Corp. of Georgia and Westar, with $25,000 each.

As for Westar, "the company has a unique problem that was addressed in the House bill."

hope that Ronnie Earle is digging on some of these angles...

"You probably didn't get a copy of the memo sent internal mail on Friday about the current legislative issue in Washington," a Westar executive wrote. "Right now, we have $11,500 in immediate needs for a group of candidates associated with Tom DeLay, Billy Tauzin, Joe Barton and Senator Richard Shelby."

The e-mails described Shelby as "our anchor on the Senate side."

Among the beneficiaries were a DeLay fund-raising committee that got $25,000; Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who got $1,000 from a Westar executive; and Tom Young, Shelby's former chief of staff whose unsuccessful run for Congress attracted at least $7,200 in Westar executives' donations on May 31, 2002, just 11 days after the e-mail was written.

----snip for the payoff to westar (attempted) --------

Barton was one of the lawmakers assigned to the House-Senate conference committee that finalized President Bush's energy plan in 2002, and the exemption the congressman introduced would have freed Westar from unwanted regulatory oversight.

The provision was a critical component of Westar's plan to split its regulated utility from the rest of its businesses. Having two publicly traded companies might enable Westar to transfer more than $3 billion in debt to the utility. The utility then could try to pass those costs to its customers through rate hikes.


Pay to Play - very clear in this instance. Time to get local press in the involved districts/states to revisit the story.

from CommonDreams

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0606-02.htm

**One executive of Westar Energy Inc. told colleagues in an e-mail that "we have a plan for participation to get a seat at the table" of a House-Senate conference committee on the Bush administration's energy plan. The cost, he wrote, would be $56,500 to campaign committees, including some associated with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.), Rep. Joe Barton (Tex.), Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (La.) and Sen. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.).

The e-mail said Tauzin and Barton "made this request" for donations, and Shelby "made a substantial request" for another candidate. It not specify a direct request from DeLay.**

Remember ole Feeney ... big in the 2000 election drama?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/05/AR2005060501223.html

Another Republican in the Democrats' sights is Rep. Tom Feeney (Fla.), who as a state official was an aggressive advocate for Bush during the presidential election recount fight of 2000, and has been a key DeLay supporter. Like DeLay, Feeney accepted a trip to South Korea from a group that later declared itself a foreign agent, which would have made the group ineligible to fund trips for lawmakers. Like DeLay, Feeney traveled to Scotland and played golf, accompanied by Abramoff.

Connected to both Delay and Abramoff

http://www.beyonddelay.org/summaries/blunt.php

http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/09/blunts-record-shows-hes-as-corrupt-as.html

long list - and this little tidbit: BLUNT USES LOBBYISTS AS DE FACTO WHIPS TO PASS CORPORATE TAX CUT: "Blunt's mobilization of the lobbying community proved crucial in winning passage" of a massive special-interest tax cut bill in 2004. Though the public opposed the bill, Blunt had a "solution to breaking the logjam: Every major lobbying interest got something... The task of rounding up the votes was delegated by Blunt's whip operation to a coalition of lobbyists, all of whom had clients with huge stakes in the outcome." – Washington Post, 5/17/05

He's a total neocon Bush bitch. As is the father.


http://www.bluntwatch.info/

He is lining his pockets big time! This sorry excuse for an ex-public servant needs to jpoin Tom in the clink!

pharma industry language inserted by Pharma - in conjunction with Pharma gifts just prior to his resignation (as in - money for campaigns - if a member has held office for a certain amount of time - can be converted to personal use when they retire - after all outstanding debts from campaigns are paid.)

The antidote:
www.johnrussellforcongress.com

and best wishes to Russell.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/13/19381/584

one hundred thousand armpac related dollars - (illegal?) - for five congressmen in the last minutes of their campaigns...

from his pop that made him one of the more wealthiest congress critters on Capitol HIll.

I know that's what he used to do, as I used to do yardwork with him right before he got into High School back in Michigan. His family was filled with spoiled rich kids then, and they are now too.

Eat cockroaches DeLay! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

on the surface just more pork. But, we have recently seen a similar story where it turns out the "biggest campaign contributor" to a california congressman who pushed through the privatization of a local airport - in order to sell it to developers - was also a "business partner."

So here is Hal's story - wonder how many there are - and how many times as in the recent story listed above, the big contributor is also a business partner (and thus potentially the financial benefit is spread back to the legislator.)

http://www.campaignmoney.org/blog/2005/01/19/paved-paradise-put-up-a-parking-lot