The Hammer Falls
As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Tom DeLay has decided to not seek re-election. Because he has already won the Republican primary, he can’t simply drop out or the Republicans will have no candidate. So he has to be disqualified. “To be disqualified he must die, be convicted of a felony or move out of the state.” Although DeLay may very well be convicted of a felony before November, his apparent plan is to pull up stakes and move to Virginia. He will retire from Congress sometime in late May or mid-June.
As for the reasons for DeLay’s choice, most outlets buy the general storyline that polls were showing him facing a very tough race – and so DeLay selflessly decided to bow out so Republicans could retain the seat. The NY Times is one of the few to cite legal troubles as the reason:
One DeLay ally said that the lawmaker had been considering leaving Congress since he gave up his leadership post in January and that he had been persuaded to make the break last week, when his former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
R. Jeffrey Smith of The Washington Post points out one advantage to DeLay’s quitting the race now: he can convert all of the campaign money he would have spent on a close election to his legal defense fund. Contributions to the fund had been dropping late last year.
(WaPo, The Fix, WaPo, NYT, Galveston Daily News, Time, Time Q&A, Thinkprogress, USA Today, LA TImes)
Abramoff and Guam
Guam’s governor was running for Lt. Governor back in ’98, when Jack Abramoff apparently tried to sabotage their opponent’s campaign, according to the Wall Street Journal. But Gov. Camacho says that he doesn’t remember Abramoff having a role in the election. (Kuam)
Doolittle: I Ain’t Giving Back Tony Rudy Contributions
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), tainted by numerous scandals, is steadfastly refusing to return campaign contributions he received from admitted felon Tony Rudy, a key figure in the Abramoff debacle. By contrast, thirteen of 34 GOP House members who received money from Rudy have said they will return the funds. On the fence are Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who’s been fingered in so many plea agreements he’ll have to change his name to “Representative #1,” and President George Bush. (The Hill)
McKinney Is Isaac Hayes Fan — and a “Distraction”
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) bent House rules to spend $1,000 on flying R&B superstar Isaac Hayes to a political event in Georgia. We’re against corruption, but there’s got to be an Isaac Hayes exception somewhere. . . The Hill reports some Dems are complaining McKinney’s antics — she punched a cop several news cycles ago — is drawing attention away from the party’s policy goals. But as The Hill points out, even before McKinney clocked the cop, nobody paid attention to Dems’ policy announcements. (WSB-TV, The Hill)
Photo Finish for 527 Overhaul Bill
The GOP is digging in for a tough fight in their effort to rein in 527s, used mostly by Democrats to raise large amounts of soft money and spread it around. Some say the effort is too late — many groups have shifted fundraising tactics away from 527s and toward more traditional funding vehicles. (Roll Call)
Covered Yesterday
Hill Cops Ask for McKinney Arrest Warrant…(link)
Just How Many Emails Did DeLay Give the Feds?…(link)
Rep. Ryun’s Documents Don’t Back His Claims…(link)
Ohio Paper Runs Army Public Affairs Officer’s Blog…(link)
Abramoff’s History with Election Meddling…(link)
A History of Scandal Diego…(link)
