Move On: Rep. Howard McKeon's Connections to Tom DeLay

[Gold Metal Flake]

Report Card
Rep. Howard McKeon's Connections to Tom DeLay

Donated $5,000
to DeLay's Legal Defense Fund

Voted 95.35%
of the time with DeLay
(3,935 of 4,127 votes)

Tell Rep. McKeon,
"Fire Tom DeLay!"

Data in the "Report Card" was compiled by Public Campaign Action Fund for its DeLay Rankings at http://www.InDeLaysPocket.com

Dear MoveOn member,
A month ago it looked like the scandals surrounding Republican Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay couldn't get any worse. Newspapers were breaking new stories every week about lobbyist-paid golf trips, the $500,000 paid from DeLay's political coffers to his family, and back-room deals DeLay was cutting to save his hide.

Then, it got worse.

The latest scandal connects DeLay to sweatshops in the Mariana Islands making apparel with "Made in the USA" labeling while avoiding U.S. labor laws — exploiting Chinese immigrant labor. But a growing number of Republicans are going mute on DeLay's ethical abuses. They're afraid of far-right organizations — who are staunch DeLay supporters — and of retribution from DeLay himself.

The thing that will push Tom DeLay out of his leadership role is a public outcry and pressure on the Republicans who gave him that office. That's where you come in. In a few weeks, we're going to organize events across the nation to deliver our petition to fire Tom DeLay to the Republicans who still back him — either Republicans in Congress or the local Republican Party.

Take a moment to sign it now — the more signatures we can deliver Rep. McKeon, the more likely he is to think twice about DeLay's leadership.

http://www.moveonpac.org/delay/?id=5502-4072644-Jx394yiLVvK9vhgEacbmkA&t=1

The tangled web of backslapping relationships between DeLay, other Republicans, and lobbyists needs to be exposed to the light. So we've taken the best information out there on the connections between Republican members of Congress and Rep. Tom DeLay and we're sending it to you as your own personal "Report Card on Rep. McKeon" (see right).

After you read the report card please sign our petition and forward this e-mail to your friends, family and colleagues. This is exactly the sort of detailed information they're looking for and will find useful.

So far, nearly 300,000 of us have signed a petition to Congress urging them to fire Tom DeLay as Majority Leader. We want to collect at least 500,000 petition signatures before the beginning of June when Congress returns home for a week.

During the first week in June MoveOn members will deliver the petition to Republican members of Congress while they're home. If you live in a Democratic district, we will deliver the petition to the local Republican Party headquarters. You can volunteer to get involved in the petition delivery when you sign the petition.

Please take the time now to sign our petition urging Congress to fire Tom DeLay as majority leader.

http://www.moveonpac.org/delay/?id=5502-4072644-Jx394yiLVvK9vhgEacbmkA&t=2

We need to turn the heat up on representatives about their association with DeLay. As absurd as it sounds, many Republicans are actually gathering later this week at a banquet to honor DeLay. Rep. McKeon might be one of them.

Among his offenses, Tom Delay:

Accepted trips from corporations and later helped kill legislation they opposed

Accepted trips from the lobbyist for a foreign government in violation of House rules

Paid family members more than $500,000 out of campaign contributions

Helped sweatshops in the Mariana Islands at the behest of a lobbyist.

Promised a role in drafting legislation to a corporate donor

Tried to coerce a Congressman for a vote on Medicare

Allegedly used corporate money given to his PAC to finance Texas campaigns in violation of state law

Used Homeland Security resources in a dispute with Democrats in Texas

Diverted funds from a children's charity for lavish celebrations at the Republican convention

Threatened retaliation against interest groups that don't support Republicans

Stacked the House Ethics Committee with representatives who have contributed to his legal defense fund

Crippled the effectiveness of the House Ethics Committee by purging members who had rebuked him

Pushed for a rules change for the House Ethics process that paralyzed the panel

Sought a rule change that would have no longer "required leaders to step aside temporarily if indicted"
(See postscript below for a link to citations.)

As Majority Leader, DeLay is the second-ranking leader in the House of Representatives. He is responsible for developing the Republican issue agenda and sets the legislative schedule by selecting which bills the House will consider.

The ranks of government contractors and lobbyists who depend on this legislative authority have slathered DeLay, his cronies and related organizations with millions of dollars.

Please sign our petition today urging Congress to fire Tom Delay!

http://www.moveonpac.org/delay/?id=5502-4072644-Jx394yiLVvK9vhgEacbmkA&t=3

Thanks for all you do.

–Tom, Wes, Adam, Laura and the MoveOn PAC Team
Wednesday, May 11th, 2005

P.S. Here is a link to the brief that we used to document DeLay's abuses. It includes links to news reports with the specific background on each of the assertions we make above. "DeLay's Dirty Dozen" from the American Progress Action Fund
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=430

P.P.S. Our work in this campaign is inspired by a number of organizations who have taken the lead.

One of the best resources for information on the Tom DeLay scandals and how other members of Congress are connected to it is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee run by Rep. Rahm Emmanuel of Illinois. Visit http://www.houseofscandal.org and join their e-mail list for alerts on how to clean up Congress.

Check out the DeLay Rankings from the Public Campaign Action Fund.
http://www.indelayspocket.com/

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington drafted the ethics complaint against DeLay, who then tried to have them held in contempt of Congress.
http://www.citizensforethics.org/

You can make a contribution to support MoveOn PAC's work on this and other issues by clicking on the link below.
https://www.moveonpac.org/donate/donate.html

PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

[mitchtv]

1. I got a report card on Mary Bono today

took $8500
donate $5000
voted 89% of the time with delay
I sent my letter