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04/07/2005:
"Trouble dogs house leader"
Republican members of congress were forced to defend the house majority leader and Christian right stalwart Tom DeLay yesterday after damaging new allegations of financial misconduct.The Texas Republican has already had three reprimands from the house ethics committee, and the latest allegation deepen speculation that his job as majority leader may be in jeopardy. Mr DeLay's associates are under investigation in his home state.
Yesterday the New York Times reported that Mr DeLay's wife and daughter had been paid more than $500,000 by his re-election campaign since 2001 for their work as organisers and fundraisers.
Meanwhile the Washington Post carried details of a 1997 trip to Moscow by Mr DeLay paid for by a Bahamian firm engaged in lobbying for Russian business interests.
Mr DeLay is barred by congressional ethics rules from accepting paid travel from lobbyists or foreigners.
It is the third of his trips to fall under scrutiny. Last month it was reported that he had a $70,000 visit to London and Scotland paid for by a native American tribe and gambling interests, and a $106,921 trip to South Korea in 2001 financed by Korean business.
"Each time he says he doesn't know who was behind it, and that is just not credible at this point," said Larry Noble, director of the Centre for Responsive Politics.
"There is a continuous political fallout from his ethics issues, and while he has been good at getting Republican troops to rally around him there comes a point at which they begin to see him as a liability, and begin to move away."
Full Article: guardian.co.uk
