04-13-2005
HOUSE LEADERSHIP - DeLay Gets Conference Support As Reid, Pelosi Slam
GOPSusan Davis and John Stanton
© National Journal Group, Inc.
Rank-and-file members of the House Republican Conference voiced support for Majority Leader DeLay today following their weekly Conference meeting. "Tom DeLay did nothing wrong," said Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan. "There is no evidence of any breaking of the House rules, no evidence of breaking any laws of the land or of the laws of Texas." Tiahrt and Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., said Republicans are focused on moving legislation through the House and downplayed DeLay's impact outside the Beltway. "When I go back to my congressional district, the question [from] a lot of people is the price of gas ... whereas you come here and it's 'Tom Delay, Tom DeLay.' And I go back to my district and they don't know who Tom Delay is," Weldon said. DeLay did not speak at the Conference meeting, Weldon said, although there was a discussion about the deadlock of the Ethics Committee involving a dispute over GOP-backed changes in the rules.
"We had a discussion about how the Democrats are refusing to allow the Ethics Committee [to organize] and how that was unfortunate," Weldon said. Weldon and Tiahrt echoed GOP arguments that Democrats are using the ethics deadlock to target DeLay for political gain. "What this is is a political smear campaign made by an organization, a political party, that is void of ideas," Tiahrt said. "The Republicans do [have an agenda], and one of the strongest leaders in Washington, D.C., for the Republican Party is Tom DeLay -- that is why he is targeted." Asked if members were concerned about reports that DeLay might have violated House rules on travel during two overseas trips, Weldon said, "As I understand it there are other members who are in the same predicament, and I don't know all the specifics of those against Tom DeLay." He added, "I think the Ethics Committee needs to sit, and if changes in the rules are needed in trips and how they are funded, then we need to scrutinize that." House Ethics Committee members are scheduled to meet later this afternoon, although an end to their deadlock is not expected.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Reid contended today at a press event critical of Republican control of Congress that the recent flurry of questions about DeLay's behavior is tied to a broader display of political "arrogance" by an out-of-touch Republican leadership -- a theme Democrats have pushed more aggressively in recent days. For instance, in an interview Friday, Reid argued the GOP leadership in Congress and the White House has little in common with Republicans "in the rest of the country," and he accused GOP leadership Tuesday of being beholden to religious conservatives. Pelosi took up a similar line today, arguing DeLay and others have distorted the core values of the Republican Party. Pelosi urged Republicans to reject such conservative lawmakers. "This isn't the Grand Old Party that you are proud of ... this isn't about partisanship, this is about honoring the oath that you took," she said.
CongressDailyPM | | |
|
