I'm really begining to not Like Delay

[RandFan]

What ever happened to avoiding even the appearance of impropriety?

Political Groups Paid Two Relatives of House Leader


WASHINGTON, April 5 - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state, Texas.

Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay's aides say is the central role played by the majority leader's wife and daughter in his political career.

Mr. DeLay's national political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, or Armpac, said in a statement on Tuesday that the two women had provided valuable services to the committee in exchange for the payments: "Mrs. DeLay provides big picture, long-term strategic guidance and helps with personnel decisions. Ms. Ferro is a skilled and experienced professional event planner who assists Armpac in arranging and organizing individual events."

Mrs. Ferro has managed several of her father's re-election campaigns for his House seat.

His spokesman said that Mr. DeLay had no additional comment. Although several members of Congress employ family members as campaign managers or on their political action committees, advocacy groups seeking an overhaul of federal campaign-finance and ethics laws say that the payments to Mr. DeLay's family members were unusually generous, and should be the focus of new scrutiny of the Texas congressman.

 

[RandFan]

A 3rd DeLay Trip Under Scrutiny

A six-day trip to Moscow in 1997 by then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was underwritten by business interests lobbying in support of the Russian government, according to four people with firsthand knowledge of the trip arrangements.

DeLay reported that the trip was sponsored by a Washington-based nonprofit organization. But interviews with those involved in planning DeLay's trip say the expenses were covered by a mysterious company registered in the Bahamas that also paid for an intensive $440,000 lobbying campaign.

It is unclear precisely how the money was transferred from the Bahamian-registered company to the nonprofit.

The expense-paid trip by DeLay and four of his staff members cost $57,238, according to records filed by his office. During his six days in Moscow, he played golf, met with Russian church leaders and talked to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, a friend of Russian oil and gas executives associated with the lobbying effort

 

[TragicMonkey]

Come now, you're clearly guilty of partisan bickering over nothing! Made up issues! To distract America from the concerted attack upon Family Values and Terri Schiavo! Culture of Life! Culture of Life, save me! Rewrite the ethics rules, quick! Or more innocent women will die! Don't look behind the curtain! If you do, you're an Activist Judge!

 

[a_unique_person]

He obviously has good family values.

 

[Darat]

The first report doesn’t seem that bad.

$500,000 in 4 years to two people is only $62,500 per year and that doesn’t seem very high compared the fees consultants I know charge.

As for the trip if it is OK for Senators to accept trips paid for by 3rd parties then again what has he done wrong?

 

[Ladewig]

As for the trip if it is OK for Senators to accept trips paid for by 3rd parties then again what has he done wrong?

Members of the House may not accept gifts or trips paid for by lobbyists or registered foreign agents.

 

[Darat]

Members of the House may not accept gifts or trips paid for by lobbyists or registered foreign agents.

But the report says it was paid for by an “OK company”, it just looks as if that company got the money from somewhere else. If the Senator's office did the customary and correct checks but later on it is subsequently found out that those checks had been purposefully circumvented by a 3rd party I don’t see how the Senator is really at fault.

 

[Suddenly]

The first report doesn’t seem that bad.

$500,000 in 4 years to two people is only $62,500 per year and that doesn’t seem very high compared the fees consultants I know charge.

Except that these people aren't consultants.... at least we have no idea if they are.

The key here is "appearance of impropriety."

$62.5K/ year isn't exactly chickenfeed, and If I'm giving that much of someone else's money to my wife and child I think it is appropriate to be a bit clear that there is some objective basis for doing so in that they could fetch a similar amount on the free market for similar circumstances.

Maybe it is reasonable. Heck, it might be a bargain as the wife and kid are worth much more... but it really should be transparent IMO... Just writing them checks should send up red flags...

 

[Darat]

Except that these people aren't consultants.... at least we have no idea if they are.

The key here is "appearance of impropriety."

$62.5K/ year isn't exactly chickenfeed, and If I'm giving that much of someone else's money to my wife and child I think it is appropriate to be a bit clear that there is some objective basis for doing so in that they could fetch a similar amount on the free market for similar circumstances.

Maybe it is reasonable. Heck, it might be a bargain as the wife and kid are worth much more... but it really should be transparent IMO... Just writing them checks should send up red flags...

I am unsure of the level of detail required in the USA but the article does say he filled out “disclosure” forms, if more detail was required surely it would have been?

Regarding the actual roles well it does report that "Mrs. Ferro has managed several of her father's re-election campaigns for his House seat." Now to me that seems a pretty major job.

There just doesn’t seem to be anything improper in this story, no one seems to be saying that his wife is never seen and spends all her time in the Bahamas and so on. The report mentions several times that she and his daughter does something.

 

[Suddenly]

I am unsure of the level of detail required in the USA but the article does say he filled out “disclosure” forms, if more detail was required surely it would have been?

Regarding the actual roles well it does report that "Mrs. Ferro has managed several of her father's re-election campaigns for his House seat." Now to me that seems a pretty major job.

There just doesn’t seem to be anything improper in this story, no one seems to be saying that his wife is never seen and spends all her time in the Bahamas and so on. The report mentions several times that she and his daughter does something.

Not improper if you consider anything legal to be proper. I've no opinion as to whether it is legal... My guess is that even Delay would be a careful enough to follow the letter of the law...

More that I would expect an elected official to take steps to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and if not I would not hink highly of them. That he fulfills requirements is nice, but when dealing with large amounts of cash to family members I want to see explicit detail about jobs performed. Call me a cynic, but there I am...

It isn't evidence of crime, but it seems to me anyway another piece of evidence to support a conclusion that one might not like Delay very much.

 

[RandFan]

Not improper if you consider anything legal to be proper. I've no opinion as to whether it is legal... My guess is that even Delay would be a careful enough to follow the letter of the law...

More that I would expect an elected official to take steps to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and if not I would not hink highly of them. That he fulfills requirements is nice, but when dealing with large amounts of cash to family members I want to see explicit detail about jobs performed. Call me a cynic, but there I am...

It isn't evidence of crime, but it seems to me anyway another piece of evidence to support a conclusion that one might not like Delay very much.

This is my biggest concern. Just avoid issues that raise red flags. If the work performed is documented and there are no questions that his family members performed to the level that would require this money then fine.

 

[CBL4]

Regarding the actual roles well it does report that "Mrs. Ferro has managed several of her father's re-election campaigns for his House seat." Now to me that seems a pretty major job.

But this is not the job in question. She was paid from a PAC not from his campaign fund.

CBL

 

[Darat]

It's probably because of where I am looking from i.e. outside the USA and because we have different rules over here I find it hard to see the "impropriety" issue.

 

[CBL4]

It's probably because of where I am looking from i.e. outside the USA and because we have different rules over here I find it hard to see the "impropriety" issue.

This is a means by which rich people and corporations donate money to politicians in a manner that may or may not be legal.

Political Action Committees (PACs) are generally set up by rich people or corportation to promote a political view. Frequently, they are simply ways of getting certain politician elected.

Presumably, in this case, certain corporation donated large amounts of money and $500,000 ended up in the pocket of his wife and daughter. At first glance, this appears to be simple payoffs to DeLay. Perhaps, they did real work but it seems fishy.

To be fair, DeLay is not alone in accepting what seem like payoffs. Maria Cantwell (Democratic Senator from Washington state) "lent" her campaign several million dollars. Once she was elected, companies and people donated money to her campaign. This money went to pay off her campaign's debt. In other words, every dollar they donated went to her pocket. It was a legal payoff.

BTW, feel free to substitute "bribe" for "payoff."

CBL

 

[wahrheit]

Over here we call it nepotism, cronyism. Not necessarily illegal, but it stinks. Does not give a good impression. Though I doubt there's much to lose in this respect regarding DeLay. I remember quite a few politicians resigning in similar cases here. A few days of debate in the press and the party, and -- whosh, gone.