SlutBag
06-15-2004, 07:23 PM
CREW Applauds Rep. Chris Bell (D-TX) for Filing Ethics Complaint Against Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX)
Tuesday June 15, 9:03 am ET
WASHINGTON, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ("CREW") called Texas Congressman Chris Bell "a hero," after Bell filed an ethics complaint with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct against Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The filing of the complaint officially breaks the seven-year "truce" preventing Members from either party from filing complaints against their colleagues.
CREW has been part of a coalition of good government groups -- including Judicial Watch, the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21, Public Citizen, Common Cause, the Center for Responsive Politics and Public Campaign -- that have collectively called for an end to the ethics truce.
CREW assisted Congressman Bell in drafting the complaint because, as CREW's Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated, "No other member of the House has consistently shown this much disrespect for the rule of law and the honor of Congress and the country should thank Congressman Bell for his courage."
The complaint covers three areas: 1) DeLay's soliciting a bribe from Westar Energy in return for an amendment to the energy bill that would have resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the company; 2) DeLay's use of his PAC, Texans for a Republican Majority, to launder corporate money, converting such funds into hard dollars that were donated directly to candidates for the Texas State Legislature; and 3) DeLay's use of the Federal Aviation Administration to track down a plane carrying Texas legislators who had left the State to avoid voting on DeLay's partisan redistricting plan.
Sloan said, "Only Chris Bell, a freshman Member of Congress, has had the courage to call for an investigation into DeLay's shameless if not criminal conduct -- conduct that has gone unchallenged for years because of the fear DeLay inspires in his colleagues." Sloan continued, "Only Chris Bell is willing to suffer the inevitable personal attacks that will result from the filing of this complaint. Only Chris Bell is willing to stand up for the integrity of the House of Representatives. Only Chris Bell has been willing to say that the emperor has no clothes. This is what makes Bell an American hero."
For more information or a copy of the complaint, go to http://www.citizensforethics.org.
(I got this article from http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040615/phtu028_1.html)
One of Tom Delay's official responses is that Chris Bell is just angry he was gerrymandered out of a district. Well, I would argue that if Tom Delay wants to reap the benefits of redistricting, he should expect some consequences, like pissed-off Congressmen who will not win re-election.
I'm sooo proud of Chris Bell right now! Sometimes it takes losing your seat in Congress to stand up to a bully like Delay. I worked for him last summer, when the whole missing-state-legislators thing went down. I hope he continues in politics, even if it won't be in Congress.
Three Cheers for Chris Bell!
By the way, this is my first post in this forum. Be gentle!
Tuesday June 15, 9:03 am ET
WASHINGTON, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ("CREW") called Texas Congressman Chris Bell "a hero," after Bell filed an ethics complaint with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct against Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The filing of the complaint officially breaks the seven-year "truce" preventing Members from either party from filing complaints against their colleagues.
CREW has been part of a coalition of good government groups -- including Judicial Watch, the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21, Public Citizen, Common Cause, the Center for Responsive Politics and Public Campaign -- that have collectively called for an end to the ethics truce.
CREW assisted Congressman Bell in drafting the complaint because, as CREW's Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated, "No other member of the House has consistently shown this much disrespect for the rule of law and the honor of Congress and the country should thank Congressman Bell for his courage."
The complaint covers three areas: 1) DeLay's soliciting a bribe from Westar Energy in return for an amendment to the energy bill that would have resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the company; 2) DeLay's use of his PAC, Texans for a Republican Majority, to launder corporate money, converting such funds into hard dollars that were donated directly to candidates for the Texas State Legislature; and 3) DeLay's use of the Federal Aviation Administration to track down a plane carrying Texas legislators who had left the State to avoid voting on DeLay's partisan redistricting plan.
Sloan said, "Only Chris Bell, a freshman Member of Congress, has had the courage to call for an investigation into DeLay's shameless if not criminal conduct -- conduct that has gone unchallenged for years because of the fear DeLay inspires in his colleagues." Sloan continued, "Only Chris Bell is willing to suffer the inevitable personal attacks that will result from the filing of this complaint. Only Chris Bell is willing to stand up for the integrity of the House of Representatives. Only Chris Bell has been willing to say that the emperor has no clothes. This is what makes Bell an American hero."
For more information or a copy of the complaint, go to http://www.citizensforethics.org.
(I got this article from http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040615/phtu028_1.html)
One of Tom Delay's official responses is that Chris Bell is just angry he was gerrymandered out of a district. Well, I would argue that if Tom Delay wants to reap the benefits of redistricting, he should expect some consequences, like pissed-off Congressmen who will not win re-election.
I'm sooo proud of Chris Bell right now! Sometimes it takes losing your seat in Congress to stand up to a bully like Delay. I worked for him last summer, when the whole missing-state-legislators thing went down. I hope he continues in politics, even if it won't be in Congress.
Three Cheers for Chris Bell!
By the way, this is my first post in this forum. Be gentle!