Tom DeLay
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) is a longtime friend and supporter of Jack Abramoff in Congress.
On April 4, 2006, amid rampant controversy, DeLay announced he would not seek re-election to congress, ending a 23-year career in the House of Representatives. He decided to leave the House before his term ended, however, and resigned from the House on June 9, 2006.
Tom DeLay was elected to the House of Representatives to represent Texas' 22nd District in 1984. He came to real power in the wake of the 1994 Republican Revolution, when he was elected Majority Whip. He'd served as deputy whip since 1988. When Dick Armey retired in 2002, DeLay was elected Majority Leader. DeLay earned the nickname "The Hammer" for his aggressive arm-twisting on close votes and for taking revenge on those who failed to fall in line.
In 1995, DeLay helped launch the K-Street Project, an effort to purge K Street lobbyists of Democrats. DeLay's former staffers would become some of the most powerful crossovers from the halls of Congress to K Street. Among them are Ed Buckham, Tony Rudy, and Michael Scanlon.
There are two accounts of how DeLay met Jack Abramoff: in 1994 through Rabbi Daniel Lapin, or at a DeLay fundraiser a year later. In any case, by 1995, the relationship was solid enough that then-DeLay staffer Ed Buckham explained Abramoff's success by saying, "he has access to DeLay." DeLay once described Abramoff as "one of my closest and dearest friends," but associates have recently backed away from that claim, telling the Washington Post that "they forged political ties, but the two men never became personally close."
Under House rules, DeLay was forced to step down from his post as Majority Leader when he was indicted in September 2005. In January 2006, he announced he would not seek to return to the leadership post.
See DeLay's Grand Ole Docket entry for ongoing court dates, and find the latest DeLay coverage at TPMmuckraker.
Key Points:
DeLay was indicted for money laundering in Texas.
In September 2005, DeLay was indicted along with Jim Ellis and John Colyandro for funneling $190,000 from corporations to GOP candidates for the Texas State Legislature in 2002. The funds, which were laundered through the RNC in Washington via TRMPAC (Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee), helped facilitate the GOP takeover of the Texas statehouse, which in turn allowed a redistricting effort that led to the election of five new Republicans to the House of Representatives in the 2004 elections.
DeLay accepted $65,000 in contributions from Abramoff.
Since 1997, Abramoff and his wife, Pam, have given DeLay's political action committees $40,000. Additionally, the Capital Athletic Foundation, one of Abramoff's charity/slush funds gave the DeLay Foundation for Kids $25,000 in 2003.
DeLay and his staff accepted gifts and trips from Abramoff:
-
Russia
Tom DeLay visited Russia in 1997 to meet with executives of Russian oil and gas companies along with Jack Abramoff at a cost of over $57,000. He claimed the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) covered it, but NCPPR was reimbursed by a Bahamian firm connected to Russian oil interests. The oil interests, who were Abramoff clients, were trying to secure billions of dollars in IMF loans to bolster the faltering Russian economy. The Russians laundered $1 million through a law firm in London to the US Family Network in 1998. DeLay would vote to support those loans that same year.A March 2006 National Journal piece (unfortunately not online, but covered by Paul Kiel here) revealed another bundle of money from the Russians. Peter Stone reported that the Russian energy execs invested $299,975 in DeLay back in 1997, before they donated the $1 million. $250,000 of that came just two weeks before DeLay flew to Moscow with Abramoff and Abramoff's Russian clients.
-
Scotland
DeLay and his wife went to Scotland in 2000 along with several of his staffers, Jack Abramoff and Ed Buckham. The expenses were placed on the credit cards of Abramoff and Buckham, who were both lobbyists at the time. House ethics rules do not allow lobbyists to cover travel expenses, and there is no exemption based on the fact that Abramoff was on NCPPR's board of directors at the time. -
Superbowl
In January 2000, Abramoff leased a corporate jet and sent Tim Berry, a DeLay staffer, and Tony Rudy, a former DeLay staffer-turned-lobbyist, to watch the Super Bowl and then spend a night gambling on a SunCruz ship. They were joined by two of Conrad Burns' staffers. -
Skyboxes and Other Travel
DeLay was also a frequent guest of Abramoff at the lobbyist's MCI Center and FedEx Field Skyboxes. DeLay staffers were guests of Abramoff on a trip to Pebble Beach, CA, to see the US Open.
DeLay was a consistent and fervent advocate for Abramoff's first big client, the Northern Mariana Islands.
Abramoff was lobbying on behalf of business interests in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, notably Tan Holdings, who wanted to maintain CNMI's deregulated business environment while putting Made in America labels on their products.
DeLay "aggressively took the lead" in the effort to keep the Marianas deregulated. He told Abramoff's clients in the CNMI that Abramoff was their "most able representative in Washington." When DeLay visited the South Pacific island in 1997, he and his wife and daughter stayed for free at a beachfront resort.
Michael Scanlon, Abramoff's business partner and now an admitted felon, was DeLay's Spokesman.
Michael Scanlon was press secretary for Tom DeLay until the end of 1999.
DeLay's Chief of Staff, Tony Rudy, worked for DeLay when Rudy used his influence to benefit Abramoff clients.
Lisa Rudy was employed by Toward Tradition while her husband, Tony Rudy, who would later work with Abramoff, was deputy chief of staff for DeLay. Her salary, $5,000/month was paid for by two $25,000 checks from Abramoff clients.
According to Abramoff's plea, where Rudy is identified as "Staffer A," in exchange for the $50,000 payments to his wife, he used his position in DeLay's office to help Abramoff's clients.
Rudy has since pled guilty to one count of conspiracy. Tom DeLay is named in the plea as "Representative #2."
Alexander Strategy Group provided access to DeLay.
Alexander Strategy Group was founded by former DeLay Chief of Staff Ed Buckham, and was considered the gatekeeper to DeLay's power in Washington. In its early days, ASG was run out of the "Safe House," a townhouse in Capitol Hill owned by the U.S. Family Network (USFN) and used by DeLay for fundraising and other activities. Americans for a Republican Majority, DeLay's leadership PAC (which also employed Buckham), used the townhouse as well.
In August 2001, DeLay and his wife Christine went to South Korea at the expense ($106,000) of a group called the Korea-US Exchange Council. House rules do not allow for travel by representatives funded by foreign agents. The trip was arranged by the Alexander Strategy Group.
USFN was sending hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to ASG. The money was coming from Abramoff clients who were getting help from DeLay in Congress. At the same time, DeLay's wife was on ASG's payroll for $3,200/month.
DeLay used the U.S. Family Network, a fund set up by Buckham and funded by Abramoff's clients, as a slush fund.
Owners of textile companies in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands gave USFN $500,000, according to tax records. The company, an Abramoff lobbying client, was looking to block legislation that would increase their labor costs by imposing a minimum wage in the CNMI, which DeLay publicly promised he would do.
Russian oil execs laundered $1 million through a law firm in London to the USFN in 1998. The executives needed DeLay's help on legislation that would allow the IMF to bailout the Russian economy. The Russians were Abramoff's clients.
Abramoff's tribal clients donated to TRMPAC and the USFN allegedly in exchange for help from DeLay.
The Mississippi Choctaw Indians, lobbying clients of Abramoff, donated $250,000 over two years to the USFN. They were seeking DeLay's help with legislation that was aimed at taxing their gambling revenues. The first $150,000 came just one day after DeLay returned to Washington after spending three days at the Choctaws Casino and Golf resort.
Shortly after TRMPAC received a $1,000 donation from the Choctaws, DeLay sent a letter to the US Attorney General, John Ashcroft, calling for the US Department of Justice to investigate and shut down a Casino run by the Alabama Coushatta Tribe, which was in direct competition with the Choctaw's casino.
Research by Ryan Chiachiere
return to the homepage
