CNN: "Hastert: Democrats protecting their own in ethics dispute"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

CNN's caption: "Embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay"...BWAHAHAAAA!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/21/hastert.ethics/index.html

Hastert: Democrats protecting their own
Pelosi calls proposed ethics committee compromise a 'sham'

From Ted Barrett and John Mercurio
CNN Washington Bureau

Thursday, April 21, 2005 Posted: 10:14 PM EDT (0214 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democrats in the House are blocking the ethics committee from organizing so they can protect several fellow party members from ethics investigations, Speaker Dennis Hastert said Wednesday.

"We know there are four or five cases out there dealing with top-level Democrats," Hastert told the conservative Sean Hannity radio program. "There's a reason that they don't want to go to the ethics process and as long as they can keep someone dangling out there like they have with Tom DeLay, they take great glee in that," the Illinois Republican said.

His comment came the same day Democrats rejected a compromise offer from the Republican chairman of the House ethics committee that would have opened an investigation into ethics charges against Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas in return for the Democrats agreeing to formally organize the committee. (Related story)

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California representative, said Thursday the offer from Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington was a "sham" because Republicans had already "gutted the rules" of the ethics panel. "The fact is that no matter whatever Mr. DeLay's problems are, they are almost minor compared to the abuse of power of the Republicans in terms of the ethics process that is a bigger issue than Mr. DeLay," Pelosi said at a news conference. "It is about the integrity of the House, of upholding a high ethical standard."

[Ganja Ninja]

1. Keep throwing those lies against the wall Denny.

Maybe one of them will stick.

[kentuck]

2. It's a not-so- veiled threat...

unless the Democrats stop their investigation rantings about Tom Delay, they will find themselves targets of ethics investigations...
These are the people we are dealing with.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

5. Yep, Joe McCarthy, alive and well and living in Washington DC

What was that comment from Jim Jones, that he placed over his "throne" in Jonestown?

Oh yeah. NOW I remember.

"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

Maybe Lord Hastert can have it placed above HIS throne.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

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[Fleshdancer]

12. I see no problem going after ANYONE who committed an ethics violation

The problem I DO have is using diversion techniques in order to take the heat off of the person committing the most and worst violations. It's up there with sending Martha Stewart to jail while Ken Lay remains free. Democrat or Republican, we should all be furious at any politician who violates these rules.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[w4rma]

16. It won't. It didn't. (nt)

[CottonBear]

3. Hastert is running scared now.

Even Mona Charen (this morning on C-Span WJ) said Delay should have stepped down temporarily while the charges against him were being investigated. She said that changing the rules to avoid investigation makes him look guilty. She said if he's not guilty then he shouldn't be afraid of the investigation.

[acmejack]

4. The longer the cons prevent this from going forward

the worse they will look. The Delay affair has the sheeples attention.

[seafan]

6. Let's keep the screws to these guys. We're making progress.

From the link:

Democrats in the House are blocking the ethics committee from organizing so they can protect several fellow party members from ethics investigations, Speaker Dennis Hastert said Wednesday.

"We know there are four or five cases out there dealing with top-level Democrats," Hastert told the conservative Sean Hannity radio program. "There's a reason that they don't want to go to the ethics process and as long as they can keep someone dangling out there like they have with Tom DeLay, they take great glee in that," the Illinois Republican said. --snip



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Rob H.]

7. "four or five cases out there dealing with top-level Democrats"

Oh, yeah, Denny? Just name one. C'mon, if you have the names, now's the perfect time to put up or shut up!

If there were any truth at all to his statement, Hastert and the rest of the 'Pukes would be shouting the names of these "four or five" on every single show on FoxNews. They're secretive about lots of things, but I can't imagine this would be one of 'em.

[Roland99]

9. Someone showed me these:

In Nevada, Reid Is the Name to Know
Members of one lawmaker's family represent nearly every major industry in their home state. And their clients rely on his goodwill.
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-sonsday223jun23,1,1120739.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

What Reid did not explain was that the bill promised a cavalcade of benefits to real estate developers, corporations and local institutions that were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying fees to his sons' and son-in-law's firms, federal lobbyist reports show.



Pelosi PAC Hit With $21K Fine
http://www.rollcall.com/pub/49_75/news/4293-1.html

Pelosi helped donor to PAC
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050405-123505-7189r.htm

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Rob H.]

15. Why isn't Hastert naming these names, then?

Like I said, it isn't in the Republican character (for the most part) to handle things with kid gloves when protecting one of their own.

I wonder if it's more of a token defense because even he knows that DeLay is soon to be toast. Maybe?



Edit: from the Washington Times article referenced above. Note the final sentence; if all else failed, the Ethics Committee could stonewall or just let the clock run out rather than carry out an investigation:

The House Standards of Official Conduct Committee has not convened this session because of partisan fights over rules changes. Democrats are mainly upset over a rule change pushed through by the Republican leadership. The new rule kills an ethics complaint rather then initiates an investigation if the panel doesn't take it up in 45 days. (Emphasis added)

Further edit: It's also rather... "convenient" that the Republicans would wait until this point in the DeLay shitstorm to start aggressively pursuing action over something that allegedly took place four years ago. The Washington Times is also a right-wing paper owned by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, so I tend to view whatever they write with a jaundiced eye, to say the least.

[gratuitous]

8. I remember when they didn't waste time on vague threats

It wasn't so very long ago that the Republicans just ignored or laughed off any suggestion that the Democrats might be making some inroads on their aura of invincibility. It seems they have passed on to that third stage of Gandhi's narrative of struggle.

And I think we all know what the fourth stage is. Buckle down, folks. Keep working hard. Keep in touch with your elected representatives, Democratic and Republican. Keep writing letters to the editor.

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. As soon as I got to: "told conservative ...Sean Hannity:

it was enough. Mr. Sean Gone Mad Insanity has no credibility.

So glad it was the 2nd paragraph. Saves time.