House Votes to Reverse GOP Ethics Rules

[maddezmom]

1 minute ago Politics - U. S. Congress


By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The House, with grudging Republican support, voted Wednesday to reverse GOP ethics rules that Democrats charged were designed to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay.


The Republicans heeded Speaker Dennis Hastert's call for a retreat to end a deadlock that has kept the evenly divided ethics panel from functioning. The vote was 406-20, with all votes against the resolution cast by Republicans.


An early job for the committee may be an inquiry into whether a lobbyist financed DeLay's foreign trips in violation of House rules. The majority leader has asked to appear before the panel to clear his name, and told reporters Wednesday he was pulling together travel records going back a decade.


In debate, Democrats continued to attack DeLay's conduct. Republicans countered that they didn't make a mistake but accepted political reality: In a committee with five members of each party, Democrats would not supply any votes to let the committee operate without a reversal of the rules.

~snip~

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20050428/ap_on_go_co/ethics_committee&sid=84439559

[aquart]

1. Stupid from start to finish.

Lovely PR it got them.

[Maat]

2. Things haven't gone too well for the Rethuglicans ...

since the election, have they?

[rodeodance]

3. a headline like "Repub. Ethics comm. Flip-Flops"---I got so so tired of

the repugs saying that phrase during the campaign!!!!

[Maat]

9. LOL!

[hopein08]

4. I was watching but I have one question...

who was the Republican that voted present?

DeLay? Hastert?

Anybody got a link to the vote tally?

Thanks!

[Samantha]

5. When the Republicans took total control of the Executive Branch

and the Legislative Branch, Delay remarked "now Republicans can do things they have only DREAMED about." He was not kidding.

This "lust" (as Gore has just termed it, and I do love the way he incorporated that word "lust" into his speech) has propelled them to reach for the Judiciary as well.

There remains no disguise, no pretense, no mask for what these extremists are attempting to do ... and the moderate Republicans were simply foolish for allowing this small minority within their party to behave so radically. After all, it's not just their party this overreaching could destroy, it's our entire country. And they, as well as we, must live here too.

[jimbot]

6. Is it just me?

...or does something smell.
The vote was 406-20. I'm surprised the repubs in the house didn't stick up for their guy. My guess is that many of them know one of two things.
1. Something even bigger will come out forcing him to step down.
...or...
2. Nothing else will come out and he will continue on without even a slap on the wrist.

I'm just shocked at the number 406-20. If it were a closer vote, I wouldn't be as suspicious.

--JT

[On Par]

7. Can You Say "Mid-Term" Elections?

The poll numbers were stinking out the Republicans on the Ethics committee new rules, and Delay's arrogance.

[jimbot]

8. If it were closer

I'd lend more credence to the midterm elections...but that much of a change makes me wonder.

[Rainscents]

10. Something smells really bad...

:banghead:

[Moderator]

11. kick to combine

[Seeing Red]

12. House Overturns New Ethics Rule as Republican Leadership Yields

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/28/politics/28ethics.html?th&emc=th">http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/28/politics/28ethics.html?th&emc=th

"WASHINGTON, April 27 - In a rare retreat, the Republican-led House on Wednesday overturned contentious rule changes made to the House ethics process, with Republicans saying they surrendered to the Democrats to try to restore a way to enforce proper conduct in the House.

'I am willing to step back,' said Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois"

-snip-

"One of the most immediate effects of the House's reverting to the old rules will be the opening of an investigation into persistent questions about Mr. DeLay's overseas travel and his relationships with prominent lobbyists. His fund-raising operations are under investigation by a grand jury in Texas, and some of the lobbyists' roles have come under increasing scrutiny by federal investigators in recent months."

looks like they're finally coming around ...

NAIL the hammer!

[whistle]

13. Ok Tom DeLay, you have 24 hrs. to resign or you will be....

...impeached by the house.

[Hobarticus]

14. Thanks, Tom...we've got some lovely parting gifts for you, too...

Man, if that ain't a kiss-off, I don't know what is.