Well, the latest news is that Doc Hastings has proposed an ethics
investigation of DeLay.
Hastings is proposing that they start the investigation without the initial step of charges being filed. Now it's up to the Democrats to vote on whether to have the investigation, or to continue the stalemate by refusing to vote.
This is either an
important concession or
very sneaky. The biggest complaint from the Dems is that any ethics charges they file could be left to hang for 45 days, then dropped because Tom DeLay's party wouldn't start an investigation. Now they're saying that they'll start the investigation right away.
What's going on? Are the Republicans throwing DeLay under the bus? Or do they have a plan to clear God's red right hand of all charges?
More crap below the fold.
The reason why the Democrats have been holding back on charging DeLay with anything is because the Ethics Commitee had been gutted of its independent Republican members. Now it's stacked with people favorable to DeLay - a couple of them even received campaign money from his funds. If charges were brought against DeLay, one of the Republican commitee members would have to propose an investigation of the charges.
The Democrats don't want to accuse DeLay only to have the charges sit on commitee for 45 days, then be dismissed. Hastings' proposal circumvents this nicely and allows Tom DeLay to defend himself. Or it gives the Repubs a chance to hang him up to dry. The question is, which is it gonna be?
Our whipped minority leader says:
This proposal on the ethics process by the Republican leadership is a charade and an absolute nonstarter with Democrats, who reject it out of hand. It is a calculated attempt to divert attention from the fact that the Republican majority has neutered the ethics committee in the House by imposing partisan rules that hamstring any meaningful inquiry.
I'm a quasi-Democrat, but even I think this sounds whiny. It looks like the Republicans are getting a little uncomfortable with the accusations of protecting Tom DeLay. The Democrats are getting what they want - now it's time to gather the evidence and slap him across the head with it. They can deal with the abused ethics commitee later.
A very interesting discussion between Roy Blunt and Barney Frank on
Meet The Press, April 17th
REP. FRANK: My guess is that he will not quit soon and that--I do not think he will be a candidate for leader in the next Congress. I think that too many Republicans will decide that this is a problem in marginal districts. I think to model Trent Lott is likely to be something that he does. He may not resign right away, but it's hard for me to believe that in a lot of the close districts in this country, people are going to want to run for re-election as the Republican pledge to the continued dominance of the Republican Party of Tom DeLay.
MR. RUSSERT: Will Tom DeLay stay as leader?
REP. BLUNT: Tom DeLay will stay as leader. There are some significant differences in where we were and where we were when Jim Wright was the speaker a few years ago. Tom DeLay is not going run away from a fight. We've always understood we have to carefully guard our narrow majorities we've had. We're going to work to do that. And we have ideas, and I think the Democrats right now are not coming forward with ideas that compete with our ideas, so they have to figure out how to compete in some other way.