AP: Lawmakers Belatedly Disclose Trips

[maddezmom]

By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Scrutiny of Majority Leader Tom DeLay's travel has led to the belated disclosure of at least 198 previously unreported special interest trips by House members and their aides, including eight years of travel by the second-ranking Democrat, an Associated Press review has found.

At least 43 House members and dozens of aides had failed to meet the one-month deadline in ethics rules for disclosing trips financed by organizations outside the U.S. government.

The AP review of thousands of pages of records covered pre-2005 travel that was disclosed since early March. That's when news stories began scrutinizing DeLay's travel, prompting lawmakers to comb through their files to make sure they had disclosed their travel.

While most of the previously undisclosed trips occurred in 2004, some date back to the late 1990s. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer recently disclosed 12 trips, the oldest dating back to 1997.

~snip~
more: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050530/ap_on_go_co/delay_congressional_travel_1

[cornermouse]

1. Battening down the hatches.

Lol. In an odd way, its funny.

[lovuian]

2. Delay will take a few people with him on his way out!!!

Interesting!!!

[napi21]

3. There's no doubt in my mind that most mebers of the DC crowd

did this, and truely, I hope they all get hammered for it! Hope the sponsors who paid for the damn trips get hammered hard too!

[annabanana]

4. I'm not worried about blow-back on this..

The sheer scope and volume of their transgressions far outstrips ours on this.

[merwin]

5. Either way, if dems did it too, they deserve to be punished the same.

[Richard Steele]

6. This is a good sign.

They wouldn't be playing "Full Disclosure" unless they really believed that Delay was in SERIOUS trouble for his trips.

This shows us which way the INSIDERS percieve the wind to be blowing.
They apparently DON'T expect smooth sailing for Tom the Bugman.

[killbotfactory]

7. Why is this legal?

"The special interest trips are usually financed by corporations, trade groups, think tanks, universities and others. They often pay for first-class commercial seats or provide corporate jets for lawmakers.

Many trips combine speeches, seminars and fact-finding tours with golf, sightseeing, shopping and accommodations at first-class hotels — often in foreign countries."

It's blatant bribery.

[annabanana]

8. so is lobbying

and I STILL don't understand why....

[dbt]

9. DAMN RIGHT, killbotfactory and annabanana!

1. Outlaw ALL paid lobbying.
2. No gifts of ANY kind to Members of Congress.
3. Members of Congress shall wear uniforms and live in barracks.
4. Presidents shall actually be elected.

[KittyWampus]

14. Does That Include Unions, Environmental Groups, Consumer Advocates?

[Mark E. Smith]

10. Bush Is All About War Dead

He's done so much to make them possible.

[tuvor]

11. AP: Lawmakers Belatedly Disclose Trips

WASHINGTON - Scrutiny of Majority Leader Tom DeLay's travel has led to the belated disclosure of at least 198 previously unreported special interest trips by House members and their aides, including eight years of travel by the second-ranking Democrat, an Associated Press review has found.

At least 43 House members and dozens of aides had failed to meet the one-month deadline in ethics rules for disclosing trips financed by organizations outside the U.S. government.

The AP review of thousands of pages of records covered pre-2005 travel that was disclosed since early March. That's when news stories began scrutinizing DeLay's travel, prompting lawmakers to comb through their files to make sure they had disclosed their travel.

While most of the previously undisclosed trips occurred in 2004, some date back to the late 1990s. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer recently disclosed 12 trips, the oldest dating back to 1997.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/delay_congressional_travel;_ylt=Av5Pi2bfoKt8smDMSbWlxR8DW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[bluedeminredstate]

12. Not saying this is right

but I wonder what the REAL story is. The one that has explanations and context left out of this article. I read it and it seemed to
be a gotcha! roster of naughty Dems that now negates DeLay's problems since everyone was engaging in this behavior.
Natch, the Librul Media let these Reps slide undetected so as to bag DeLay. And of course he's now not the sleazebag revealed for all
to see - he wasn't even as bad as some of his colleagues! Oh, the injustice...

:cry:

[keopeli]

13. Sounds like the Dem is being thorough, while the others are providing less

12 trips since 97

Most of the updated records were for 04 - last year. The year this Congress would review, most likely.

What's the true number of undisclosed records for Delay since 97?

Wouldn't that be more relevant to the topic at hand, which is Delay's "inartful" acts?

Keo