From the LA Times (via the Associated Press and courtesy Think Progress), the text of the letter Tom DeLay sent the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert:
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I am writing to inform you of my decision to permanently step aside as majority leader, and of my belief that the best interests of the conference would be served by the election of a new leader as soon as possible.
The job of majority leader and the mandate of the Republican majority are too important to be hamstrung, even for a few months, by personal distractions.
I will continue to serve my constituents and seek re-election to a 12th term representing Texas’ 22nd district while I work to clear my name of the baseless charges leveled against me. I will also be reclaiming my seat on the Appropriations Committee when the second session of the 109th Congress convenes later this month.
Sincerely,
Tom DeLay
Reclaiming his seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee? Does that mean DeLay has the right to kick someone else off? Well, not exactly.
From the San Diego Union Tribune, 12/10/05:
A vacancy on the panel occurred earlier this week when Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Rancho Santa Fe, formally resigned from Congress after pleading guilty to charges that he accepted bribes from defense contractors.
Hat tip to Firedoglake.
I for one approve. If you remove one crook from the most powerful House Committee, it’s only fair (and balanced, don’t forget balanced) to replace him with another crook, one who even slurped from the same trough as the Dukestir. Remember Brent Wilkes, Duke’s good friend and business associate? The same Wilkes who’s named as “Co-conspirator No. 1” in Cunningham’s plea aggreement? Guess who else in Congress he “helped” out? That’s right, new House Appropriations Committee member DeLay:
Wilkes befriended other legislators, too. He ran a hospitality suite, with several bedrooms, in Washington – first in the Watergate Hotel and then in the Westin Grand near Capitol Hill.
He also kept his donations flowing, targeting people with clout over the Pentagon budget: $43,000 to Jerry Lewis, who now heads the Appropriations Committee; $35,500 to Hunter, who heads the Armed Services Committee; and $30,000 to Tom DeLay, who flew on Wilkes’ jet several times and has been a frequent golfing buddy.
Over the past three years, Wilkes’ lobbying group in Washington – Group W Advisors – also paid about $630,000 in lobbying fees to Alexander Strategy Group, a firm headed by DeLay’s former chief of staff Ed Buckham and staffed with former DeLay employees.
Thank god the Speaker of the House is so committed to reform, eh?
