Tom DeLay 216169 225341009 2008-07-13T04:47:40Z 72.79.132.82 /* Charity work */ {{Infobox Officeholder | name = Tom DeLay | image = TomDelayin2005.jpg | imagesize = 200px | smallimage = | caption = | order = 24<sup>th</sup> [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|United States House of Representatives Majority Leader]] | term_start = [[January 3]], [[2003]] | term_end = [[September 28]], [[2005]] | vicepresident = | viceprimeminister = | deputy = | president = | primeminister = | predecessor = [[Dick Armey]] | successor = [[Roy Blunt]] (Interim) | order2 = Member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from [[Texas]]'s [[Texas's 22nd congressional district|22nd]] District | term_start2 = [[January 3]], [[1985]] | term_end2 = [[June 9]], [[2006]] | vicepresident2 = | viceprimeminister2 = | deputy = | president2 = | primeminister2 = | predecessor2 = [[Ron Paul]] | successor2 = [[Shelley Sekula-Gibbs]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|04|08}} | birth_place = [[Laredo, Texas]] | death_date = | death_place = | constituency = | party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | spouse = Christine Furrh DeLay | profession = | religion = [[Baptist]] | signature = | footnotes = | alma_mater = [[University of Houston]] }} '''Thomas Dale DeLay''' (born [[April 8]] [[1947]]) is a former member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[Sugar Land, Texas|Sugar Land]], [[Texas]]. He was [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Majority Leader]] 2003–2005 and is a prominent member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. DeLay was first elected to the House in 1984. He became known as "The Hammer" for his enforcement of party discipline in close votes and his reputation for taking political retribution on opponents. He was appointed [[Party whips of the United States House of Representatives|Deputy Minority Whip]] in 1988 and was elected [[Party whips of the United States House of Representatives|House Majority Whip]] in 1995 after helping [[Newt Gingrich]] to lead the [[Republican Revolution]]. In the 1990s, he helped to start the [[K Street Project]], an effort to pressure [[lobbying]] firms to hire Republicans to top positions. He was a driving force behind the [[impeachment of Bill Clinton|impeachment]] of President [[Bill Clinton]] in 1998. DeLay was elected House Majority Leader after the [[U.S. House election, 2002|2002 midterm elections]], and compelled House Republicans to unite to an unprecedented degree, especially in support of President [[George W. Bush]]'s agenda. In the early 2000s, DeLay helped to coordinate efforts to [[2003 Texas redistricting|redistrict congressional districts]] in Texas to favor the election of more Republicans. In 2005, a Texas [[grand jury]] [[indictment|indicted]] DeLay on criminal charges that he had conspired to violate [[campaign finance]] laws during that period. DeLay denied the charges and pled not guilty, saying they were politically motivated and the law he was indicted under did not apply until later, but [[Republican Conference of the United States House of Representatives|Republican Conference]] rules forced him to resign temporarily from his position as Majority Leader. In January 2006, under pressure from fellow Republicans, DeLay announced that he would not seek to return to the position. In the months before and after this decision, two of his former aides were convicted in the [[Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal|Jack Abramoff scandal]]. DeLay ran for re-election in [[United States House elections, 2006|2006]], and won the Republican [[primary election]] in March 2006, but, citing the possibility of losing the general election, he announced in April 2006 that he would withdraw from the race and resign his seat in Congress. He resigned on [[June 9]] [[2006]], and sought to remove his name from the ballot. The court battle that followed forced him to remain on the ballot, despite having withdrawn from the race. After much judicial wrangling,<ref>[http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/8/8/143020.shtml?s=ic Tom DeLay Clears Path for Write-In Candidate<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> DeLay's name was not on the ballot on election day. There were two elections for the House seat, a special election to fill the vacancy created by DeLay's resignation and the general election for the 110th Congress. In the [[Texas's 22nd congressional district elections, 2006|general election]] there were three main candidates. Democrat and former US Representative Nick Lampson, Libertarian Party candidate Bob Smither, and Republican Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. Only Lampson's and Smither's names appeared on the ballot, as Sekula-Gibbs had to run as a write-in candidate because DeLay had previously won the Republican primary. ==Biography and early political career== DeLay was born in [[Laredo, Texas]]. He spent part of his childhood in [[Venezuela]], due to his father's work in the [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] industry. He later attended Calallen High School in [[Corpus Christi, Texas]], and spent two years as a pre-med student at [[Baylor University]] before he was expelled for drinking and [[vandalism]] — DeLay was caught painting a building at rival [[Texas A&M University]] green and gold, Baylor's colors. DeLay married Christine Furrh, whom he had known since high school, in 1967. The DeLays had a daughter, Danielle, in 1972. DeLay received a [[Bachelor of Science]] [[academic degree|degree]] with a major in biology from the [[University of Houston]] in 1970. He spent three years working for Redwood Chemical. This work was the source for his nickname "the Exterminator". In the eleven years DeLay ran the company, the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] imposed [[tax lien]]s on him three times for not paying payroll and income taxes.<ref name="absolutetruth">{{cite news | last=Perl | first=Peter | title=Absolute Truth | publisher=[[The Washington Post]] | date=May 13, 2001 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6825-2001May9&no}}</ref> The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]'s ban on a certain [[pesticide]] that was used in extermination work led DeLay to oppose government regulation of businesses, a belief that he has carried with him throughout his political career.<ref>{{Citation | last=Hollar | first=Julie | title=The DeLay Chronicles: A Nice Guy in Austin | magazine=[[The Texas Observer]] | year=2000 | date=February 4, 2000 | url=http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=143}}</ref> In 1978, DeLay won the election for an open seat in the [[Texas House of Representatives]]. He was the first Republican to represent [[Fort Bend County, Texas|Fort Bend County]] in the state House. During his time in the Texas Legislature, he struggled with [[alcoholism]] and gained a reputation as a playboy, earning the nickname "Hot Tub Tom". By the time of his election to Congress, he drank "eight, ten, twelve [[martini cocktail|martinis]] a night at receptions and fundraisers."<ref name="absolutetruth" /> In 1985, DeLay became a [[born again|born-again Christian]], and later gave up hard liquor. He has stated that he "was no longer committing [[adultery]] by [the time of] the impeachment trial" in 1998.<ref>{{Citation | last=Goldberg | first=Jeffrey | authorlink=Jeffrey Goldberg | title=Party Unfaithful | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | year=2007 | date=June 4, 2007 | url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/04/070604fa_fact_goldberg?printable=true}}</ref> In 1994, Christine DeLay began volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate for children in [[foster care]], and soon thereafter, the DeLays became foster parents to three teenage boys. DeLay has declined to comment on reports in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' that he is estranged from much of his family, including his mother and one of his brothers.<ref>{{cite news | last=Henneberger | first=Melinda | title=Tom DeLay Holds No Gavel, But a Firm Grip on the Reins | publisher=[[The New York Times]] | date=June 21, 1999 | url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/062199delay-profile.html}}</ref> DeLay has not spoken to his younger brother, Randy, a [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] lobbyist, since 1996, when a complaint to the [[U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct|House Ethics Committee]] prompted Tom DeLay to cut his brother off in order to avoid the appearance of a [[conflict of interest]].<ref name="absolutetruth" /> DeLay was elected to the House in [[U.S. House election, 1984|1984]], representing the [[United States House of Representatives, Texas District 22|Texas 22nd congressional district]], after his predecessor, Republican [[Ron Paul]], declined to run for re-election to run in the Republican primary for the 1984 [[U.S. Senate]] race. ==Early Congressional career== As a member of the Republican minority in the 1980s, DeLay made a name for himself by criticizing the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] and the Environmental Protection Agency. During his first term in Congress, DeLay was appointed to the Republican Committee on Committees, which assigned representatives to [[House committee]]s, and in his second term, he was appointed to the powerful [[House Appropriations Committee]], a position that he retained until his election as Majority Leader in 2003. He was reappointed to the committee in 2006 after leaving his position as Majority Leader. He also served for a time as chairman of a group of conservative House Republicans known as the [[Republican Study Committee]], and as secretary of the Republican Conference. No one close to DeLay corroborated that DeLay attempted to serve in the military. ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that he had received student deferments while at Baylor, and had kept the deferment after his expulsion from Baylor in 1967. He received a high [[draft lottery (1969)|draft lottery]] number in 1969, and graduated from the University of Houston in 1970. DeLay was appointed deputy whip by then-[[Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives|Minority]] [[Whip (politics)|Whip]] [[Dick Cheney]] in 1988. When the Republican Party gained control of the House in 1995 following the [[U.S. House election, 1994|1994 election]], DeLay was elected [[Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Whip]] against the wishes of [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]]-elect [[Newt Gingrich]]. DeLay was not always on good terms with Gingrich or [[Dick Armey]], the House Majority Leader from 1995 to 2003, and he reportedly considered them uncommitted to [[Christian values]]. In 1997 DeLay unsuccessfully tried to remove Gingrich from his position as Speaker. Nevertheless, in the heyday of the 104th Congress (1995–1997), DeLay described the Republican leadership as a [[triumvirate]] of Gingrich, "the visionary"; Armey, "the [[policy wonk]]"; and himself, "the ditch digger who makes it all happen".<ref>{{Citation | last=Dreyfuss | first=Robert | title=DeLay, Incorporated | magazine=The Texas Observer | year=2000 | date=February 4, 2000 | url=http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=142}}</ref> In keeping with his opposition to environmental regulation, DeLay criticized proposals to phase out the use of [[chlorofluorocarbon]]s (CFCs), which lead to the depletion of the [[ozone layer]]. In 1995, DeLay introduced a bill to revoke the CFC ban and to repeal provisions of the [[Clean Air Act]] dealing with stratospheric ozone, arguing that the science underlying the ban was debatable. As Majority Whip, DeLay earned the nickname "The Hammer" for his enforcement of party discipline in close votes and his reputation for wreaking political vengeance on opponents. DeLay has expressed a liking for his nickname, pointing out that the [[hammer]] is one of a [[carpenter]]'s most valuable tools.<ref>{{cite web | last=DeLay | first=Tom | title=Pelosi, Stumbling out of the Gate | publisher=TomDeLay.com | date=December 20, 2006 | url=http://www.tomdelay.com/home/2006/12/20/pelosi-stumbling-out-of-the-gate.html}}</ref> In the 104th Congress, DeLay successfully whipped 300 out of 303 bills.<ref>{{cite book | last=Dubose | first=Lou | coauthors=Jan Reid | title=The Hammer: Tom DeLay: God, Money, and the Rise of the Republican Congress | publisher=PublicAffairs | date=2004 | pages=98 | id=ISBN 1-58648-238-6}}</ref> In 1998, DeLay worked to ensure that the House vote on impeaching President [[Bill Clinton]] was successful.<ref name="absolutetruth" /> DeLay rejected efforts to [[censure]] Clinton, who, DeLay said, had lied under oath.<ref name="bigpush">{{Citation | last1=Carney | first1=James | last2=Dickerson | first2=John F. | title=The big push to impeach | magazine=[[TIME]] | year=1998 | date=December 7, 1998 | url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/time/1998/12/07/impeachment.html}}</ref> DeLay believed that the [[U.S. Constitution]] allowed the House to punish the president only through impeachment. He called on Clinton to resign and personally compelled enough House members to vote to approve two articles of impeachment.<ref name="bigpush" /><ref>Dubose and Reid, p. 157</ref> ===Contributions from Russian oil executives=== In December 2005, the ''Washington Post'' reported that, in 1998, a group of [[Russia]]n oil executives had given money to a nonprofit advocacy group run by a former DeLay staffer and funded by clients of [[lobbyist]] [[Jack Abramoff]], in an attempt to influence DeLay's vote on an [[International Monetary Fund]] bailout of the Russian economy.<ref>{{cite news | last=Smith | first=R. Jeffrey | title=The DeLay-Abramoff Money Trail | publisher=The Washington Post | date=December 31, 2005 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/30/AR2005123001480_pf.html}}</ref> Associates of DeLay advisor [[Ed Buckham]], the founder of the [[U.S. Family Network]], said that executives from the oil firm [[Naftasib]] had offered a donation of $1,000,000 to be delivered to a [[Washington, D.C.]]-area airport in order to secure DeLay's support. On [[June 25]] [[1998]], the U.S. Family Network received a $1 million check via money transferred through the London law firm James & Sarch Co. This payment was the largest single entry on U.S. Family Network's donor list. The original source of the donation was not recorded.<ref>{{cite news | last=Sherwell | first=Philip | coauthors=David Harrison | title=British lawyers linked to $1 million payment for favours at US Congress | publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=January 9, 2006 | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/08/wus08.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/08/ixnewstop.html}}</ref> DeLay denied that the payment had influenced his vote. Naftasib denied that it had made the payment and that it had ever been represented by James & Sarch Co. The now-dissolved law firm's former partners declined to comment due to confidentiality requirements. ===Settlement in civil suit=== In early 1999, the ''[[The New Republic]]'' picked up a story, first reported by Houston-area alternative weeklies, alleging that DeLay had committed [[perjury]] during a civil lawsuit brought against him by a former business partner in 1994. The plaintiff in that suit, Robert Blankenship, charged that DeLay and a third partner in Albo Pest Control had breached the partnership agreement by trying to force him out of the business without buying him out. Blankenship filed suit, charging DeLay and the other partner with breach of [[fiduciary duty]], [[fraud]], [[wrongful termination]], and loss of corporate expectancy. While being [[deposition (law)|deposed]] in that suit, DeLay claimed that he did not think that he was an officer or [[board of directors|director]] of Albo and that he believed that he had resigned two or three years previously.<ref name="absolutetruth" /> However, his congressional disclosure forms, including one filed subsequent to the deposition, stated that he was either president or chairman of the company between 1985 and 1994. Blankenship also alleged that Albo money had been spent on DeLay's congressional campaigns, in violation of federal and state law. DeLay and Blankenship [[settlement (law)|settled]] for an undisclosed sum. Blankenship's attorney said that had he known about the congressional disclosure forms, he would have referred the case to the [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] district attorney's office for a perjury prosecution. DeLay has never been charged with a crime in connection with this case. ==Majority Leader== <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:1209414438582.jpg|right|thumb|''Tom Delay'', before being indicted on September 28, 2005.]] --> After serving as his party's Whip for eight years, DeLay was elected Majority Leader upon the retirement of [[Dick Armey]] in 2003. His tenure as Majority Leader was marked by strong Republican party discipline and by parliamentary and redistricting efforts to preserve Republican control of the House. After being indicted on [[September 28]] [[2005]], DeLay stepped down from his position as Majority Leader. He was the first congressional leader ever to be indicted.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-delay-investigation,1,1414739.story?coll=chi-news-hed | title=DeLay Steps Down From House Post | publisher=The Associated Press | author=Margasak, Larry | date=September 29, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-23}}</ref> Rep. [[Roy Blunt]] of Missouri took over as acting leader.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507677/ | title=DeLay indicted in campaign finance probe | publisher=[[The Associated Press]] | date=September 28, 2005|accessdate=2006-04-14}}</ref> On [[January 7]] [[2006]], after weeks of growing pressure from Republican colleagues, and particularly from Reps. [[Charlie Bass]] and [[Jeff Flake]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/06/AR2006010601763.html | title=Tide Turning Against DeLay | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Weisman, Jonathan | date=January 7, 2006 | accessdate=2006-09-10}}</ref> who wanted to avoid being associated with DeLay's legal issues in an election year, DeLay announced that he would not seek to regain his position as Majority Leader. ===Legislative and electoral methods=== DeLay was known to "primary" Republicans who resisted his votes (i.e., to threaten to endorse and to support a Republican [[primary election|primary]] challenge to the disobedient representative),<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/08/AR2006060801342.html | title=DeLay Pulls No Punches In Final Speech to House | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Grunwald, Michael | date=June 9, 2006 | accessdate=2007-01-09}}</ref> and, like many of his predecessors in Congress, used promises of future committee chairmanships to bargain for support among the rank-and-file members of the party.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Employing a method known as "[[catch and release (congress)|catch and release]]," DeLay allowed [[centrist]] or moderately conservative Republicans to take turns voting against controversial bills. If a representative said that a bill was unpopular in his district, then DeLay would ask him to vote for it only if his vote were necessary for passage; if his vote were not needed, then the representative would be able to vote against the party without reprisal.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} In the 108th Congress, a preliminary [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] vote passed 216-215, a vote on [[Head Start]] passed 217-216, a vote on [[school voucher]]s for Washington, D.C. passed 209-208, and "[[Fast track]]," usually called "trade promotion authority", passed by one vote as well. Both political supporters and opponents remarked on DeLay's ability to sway the votes of his party, a method DeLay described as "growing the vote". DeLay was also noted for involving lobbyists in the process of passing House bills. One lobbyist said, "I've had members pull me aside and ask me to talk to another member of Congress about a bill or amendment, but I've never been asked to work on a bill — at least like they are asking us to whip bills now."<ref>Dubose and Reid, p. 93</ref> DeLay's ability to raise money gave him additional influence. During the 2004 election cycle, DeLay's political action committee ARMPAC was one of the top contributors to Republican congressional candidates, contributing over $980,000 in total.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.asp?strid=C00292946&cycle=2004 | title=Political Action Committees: Americans for a Republican Majority | publisher=Center for Responsive Politics | accessmonthday=September 11 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Partly as a result of DeLay's management abilities, the House Republican caucus under him displayed unprecedented, sustained party cohesion.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-04-04-delay-usat-analysis_x.htm | title=DeLay's hardball tactics coming back on him|publisher=[[USA Today]] | author=Drinkard, Jim | date=April 5, 2006 | accessdate=2006-04-29}}</ref> On [[September 30]] [[2004]], the House Ethics Committee unanimously admonished DeLay because he "offered to endorse Representative [[Nick Smith (U.S. politician)|[Nick] Smith]]'s son in exchange for Representative Smith's vote in favor of the [[Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act|Medicare bill]]."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/ethics/Medicare_Report.pdf|format=[[PDF]] | title=Investigation of Certain Allegations Related to Voting on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 | publisher=U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct | date=September 30, 2004 | accessdate=2006-04-22}}</ref> ===Domestic policy=== In 2001, DeLay defied President George W. Bush when DeLay refused to increase the [[Earned Income Credit]] (EIC) tax credit during the congressional battle over Bush's [[tax cut]]s for people making between $10,500 and $26,625 a year; when reporters asked DeLay about what he would do about increasing the EIC, DeLay simply stated, "[It] ain't going to happen." When Bush's press secretary [[Ari Fleischer]] reiterated the president's desire for a low-income tax cut, DeLay retorted, "The last time I checked they [the [[executive branch]]] don't have a vote."<ref>{{cite news | title=G.O.P. Leader Brushes Off Pressure by Bush on Taxes | publisher=The New York Times | page=1 | date=June 11, 2003}}</ref> DeLay was rated a 2.77 out of 100 by the Progressive Punch website for his votes regarding corporate subsidies, government checks on corporate power, human rights and civil liberties, labor rights and environmental policy.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.progressivepunch.com/ | title=Progressive Punch | publisher=www.progressivepunch.com | accessdate=2006-08-22}}</ref> On [[economic policy]], DeLay was rated 95 out of 100 by [[Americans for Tax Reform]], and 95 to 100 by the [[United States Chamber of Commerce]], a pro-business lobby. On environmental policy, he earned ratings of zero from the [[Sierra Club]] and [[League of Conservation Voters]]. He has been a fervent critic of the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]], which he has called the "[[Gestapo]] of government".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9512/congress_enviro/ | title=Year in Review: Congress vs. Environment|publisher=[[CNN]] | date=December 29, 1995 | accessdate=2006-04-15 | author=Bruce Burkhard}}</ref> DeLay is for [[gun rights]] in the [[gun politics]] debate.<ref name="absolutetruth" /> The [[American Civil Liberties Union]] measured that his voting history aligned with their [[civil liberties]] platform zero percent of the time.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://action.aclu.org/site/VoteCenter?page=congScorecard | title=National Freedom Scorecard|publisher=[[American Civil Liberties Union]] | accessdate=2006-04-15}}</ref> DeLay blamed Senate [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and what he called "BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) [[environmentalism|environmentalists]]" for blocking legislative solutions to problems such as the [[2003 North America blackout]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030818-122326-3716r.htm | title=Feds investigate cause of blackout|publisher=[[The Washington Times]] | date=August 18, 2003 | accessdate=2006-04-15 | author=Hudson, Audrey}}</ref> DeLay maintained public silence on Houston's 2003 [[METRORail]] [[light rail]] initiative, though in the past, he had opposed expanding light rail to Houston. Public filings later showed that DeLay had his [[Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee]] (ARMPAC) and his congressional campaign committee send money to [[Texans for True Mobility]], an organization that advocated against the initiative. The proposal passed by a slim margin.<ref>{{cite news | title=DeLay PACs funded efforts to defeat rail; $30,000 given to opposition group | page=1|publisher=[[The Houston Chronicle]] | date=March 24, 2004}}</ref> Despite his earlier opposition, following the passage of the initiative, DeLay helped to obtain funding for the light rail program.<ref>{{cite news | title=New transit plan is leaning more toward buses | publisher=The Houston Chronicle | date=June 13, 2005 | page=1 | author=Sallee, Rad}}</ref> DeLay is [[pro-life]].<ref name="absolutetruth" /> In 2005, he voted 100 percent in line with the views of the [[National Right to Life Committee]] and zero percent with the [[National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action League]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/choice-action-center/in-congress/congressional-record-on-choice/state.html?state=TX | title=Congressional Record on Choice by State|publisher=[[NARAL Pro-Choice America]] | year=2005 | accessdate=2006-06-25}}</ref> DeLay supported the [[Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005]]. Critics of this law argued that it unduly favors creditors over consumers, and noted that the [[credit card]] industry spent millions of dollars lobbying in support of the act.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53688-2005Apr14.html | title=Bankruptcy Bill Passes; Bush Expected to Sign | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Day, Kathleen | date=April 15, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-24}}</ref> In 2004, the House Ethics Committee unanimously admonished DeLay for his actions related to a 2002 energy bill. A Committee memo stated that DeLay "created the appearance that donors were being provided with special access to Representative DeLay regarding the then-pending energy legislation."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/ethics/DeLay_memo.htm | title=DeLay Memo | publisher=U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct | accessdate=2006-04-22}}</ref> In 2005, DeLay, acting against the president's wishes, initiated the "safe harbor" provision for [[MTBE]] in the [[Energy Policy Act of 2005]], together with Rep. [[Joe Barton]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7574562/|publisher=[[MSNBC]] | title=House approves $12 billion energy package | date=April 21, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-15}}</ref> This provision would have retroactively protected the makers of the [[gasoline]] additive from lawsuits. The provision was dropped from the final bill. DeLay opposes the teaching of the [[theory of evolution]]. After the [[Columbine High School massacre]], he entered into the congressional record a statement saying that shootings happened in part "because our school systems teach our children that they are nothing but glorified [[ape]]s who have evolutionized [''sic''] out of some primordial soup of mud."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html | title=Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in Prosperous Democracies | publisher=''The Journal of Religion & Society'' | author=Paul, Gregory S., Ph. D.| date=2005 | accessdate=2006-08-22}}</ref> ===Foreign policy=== DeLay has been a strong supporter of the State of [[Israel]], saying, "The Republican leadership, especially that leadership in the House, has made pro-Israel policy a fundamental component of our [[foreign relations of the United States|foreign policy]] agenda and it drives the Democrat [''sic''] leadership crazy — because they just can’t figure out why we do it!"<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5822374/ | title=DeLay makes intense appeal for Jewish voters | publisher=MSNBC | date=September 1, 2004 | accessdate=2006-04-15 | last=Curry | first=Tom}}</ref> In a 2002 speech, DeLay promised to "use every tool at my disposal to ensure that the Republican Conference, and the House of Representatives, continues to preserve and strengthen America's alliance with the State of Israel."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.acpr.org.il/Israel's_friends/Tom_DeLay-nov2002.html | title=A Night to Honor Israel | publisher=Ariel Center for Policy Research | accessmonthday=April 15 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> On a 2003 trip to Israel, DeLay toured the nation and addressed members of the [[Knesset]]. His opposition to land concessions is so strong that [[Aryeh Eldad]], the deputy of Israel's conservative [[National Union Party]], remarked, "As I shook his hand, I told Tom DeLay that until I heard him speak, I thought I was farthest to the right in the Knesset."<ref>{{cite news | title=House's DeLay Bonds With Israeli Hawks | publisher=[[The Los Angeles Times]] | page=A.5 | date=July 31, 2003 | last=Stack|first=Megan K.}}</ref> Former [[Mossad]] chief [[Danny Yatom]] said "The [[Likud]] is nothing compared to this guy."<ref>Dubose and Reid, p. 236</ref> In 2005, in a snub to the Bush administration, DeLay was the "driving force behind the rejection of direct aid" to the [[Palestinian Authority]]. The deal was "brokered" by the [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee]]. In the wake of the legislation, some Jewish leaders expressed concern "about the degree to which the Texas Republican, an evangelical Christian who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, will go to undercut American and Israeli attempts to achieve a [[two-state solution]]."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.forward.com/articles/2826 | title=House Sets Limits on Palestinian Aid As DeLay Defies Calls of Bush, Rice|publisher=[[The Forward]] | last=Nir | first=Ori | date=March 18, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-15}}</ref> DeLay has long been a strong critic of [[Cuba]]n leader [[Fidel Castro]]'s regime, which DeLay has called a "thugocracy", and a supporter of the U.S. [[United States embargo against Cuba|trade embargo against Cuba]]. ===Charity work=== In 2003, DeLay set up a [[charity]] for [[child abuse|abused]] and neglected children, with part of the funds going to the 2004 GOP convention. The ''[[New York Times]]'' described it as "aides to Mr. DeLay... acknowledged that part of the money would go to pay for late-night convention parties, a luxury suite during President Bush's speech at [[Madison Square Garden]] and yacht cruises. ... "They are using the idea of helping children as a blatant cover for financing activities in connection with a convention with huge unlimited, undisclosed, unregulated contributions," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a Washington group that helped push through the recent overhaul of the [[campaign finance]] laws." DeLay also founded a community known as Rio Bend[http://www.riobend.org/]. This community has a mission to provide a home and community for abused and neglected children in the foster care system. The ground breaking ceremony was in September 2003 and the grand opening for the Christ-centered community was in August 2005. The intention is to build additional 24 homes to this community. Later, the DeLay's would like to change the landscape of the foster system throughout the states and use the Rio Bend community as a model. ===Accusations of misuse of federal investigative agencies=== During the Texas [[redistricting warrant]] controversy, several Democratic members of the [[Texas legislature|Texas House of Representatives]] fled to [[Oklahoma]] to prevent the House from establishing a [[quorum]] of members, thereby preventing the House from acting on any legislation. Although not a member of the Texas legislature, DeLay became involved, by contacting several federal agencies in order to determine the location of the missing legislators. DeLay's staff contacted the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) for assistance in tracking down a plane that one of the legislators was flying to Oklahoma, an action that the FAA believed to be a result of safety concerns about the aircraft.<ref name="drawingtheline">{{cite news | url=http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060306fa_fact | title=Drawing the Line | author=Toobin, Jeffrey | publisher=[[The New Yorker]] | date=February 27, 2006 | accessdate=2006-06-19}}</ref> A review by the [[U.S. Department of Transportation]] found that a total of thirteen FAA employees spent more than eight hours searching for the airplane.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/18/politics/main649927.shtml | title=Texas Redistricting Fight Not Over | publisher=The Associated Press | date=October 18, 2004 | accessdate=2006-07-23}}</ref> Members of DeLay's staff asked the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) to arrest the missing Democrats. The FBI dismissed the request as "wacko".<ref name="drawingtheline" /> DeLay also contacted [[United States Marshal]] and [[United States Attorney]]'s offices in Texas, as well as the [[Air and Marine Interdiction Coordination Center]], an agency that deals with smuggling and terrorism.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senate.gov/~gov_affairs/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&Affiliation=R&PressRelease_id=415&Month=8&Year=2003 | title=Lieberman: Federal Authority Misused by Texas Republicans|publisher=[[United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs]] | date=August 22, 2003 | accessdate=2006-04-24}}</ref> U.S. Senator [[Joseph Lieberman]] (D-[[Connecticut]]) requested an investigation into DeLay's involvement in the requests, and asked that any [[White House]] involvement be reported. The House Ethics Committee admonished DeLay for improper use of FAA resources, and for involving federal agencies in a matter that should have been resolved by Texas authorities.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/ethics/DeLay_letter.htm | title=DeLay letter | publisher=U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct | date=October 6, 2004 | accessdate=2006-04-24}}</ref> ===The K Street Project=== {{see also|K Street Project}} DeLay's involvement with the lobbying industry included a pointed effort on the part of the Republican Party to parlay the Congressional majority into dominance of [[K Street]], the lobbying district of Washington, D.C. DeLay, Senator [[Rick Santorum]], and [[Grover Norquist]] launched a campaign in 1995 encouraging lobbying firms to retain Republican officials in top positions. Firms that had Democrats in positions of authority, DeLay suggested, would not be granted the ear of majority party members. In 1999, DeLay was privately reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee after he pulled an important intellectual property rights bill off of the House floor when the Electronics Industries Alliance hired a former Democratic Congressman, [[Dave McCurdy]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/04/08/scandals/index1.html | title=Broken Hammer?|publisher=[[Salon.com]] | last=Dubose | first=Lou | date=April 8, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-15}}</ref> Firms initially responded to the campaign, but it waned during 2004, when the possibility of Senator [[John Kerry]]'s winning the presidency gave lobbying firms some incentive to hire Democrats.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21972-2004Jul1.html | publisher=The Washington Post | title=Going Left on K Street | last=Birnbaum | first=Jeffrey H. | date=July 2, 2004 | accessdate=2006-06-18}}</ref> ===Cuban cigar photo=== DeLay has long been a strong critic of [[Cuba]]n leader [[Fidel Castro]]'s regime, which DeLay has called a "thugocracy", and a supporter of the U.S. [[United States embargo against Cuba|trade embargo against Cuba]]. However, in April 2005, ''[[Time Magazine]]'' published a photo from a July 2003 trip to Israel, in which DeLay is seen [[tobacco smoking|smoking]] a Cuban [[cigar]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1054968,00.html | publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | title=But Did He Inhale? | date=27 April 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-16 | author=Tumulty, Karen}}</ref> The consumption or purchase of Cuban cigars is illegal in the United States (but was, at the time, not illegal abroad). Since September 2004, the [[U.S. Treasury Department]]'s enforcement of the law has been toughened to forbid consumption (smoking) or purchase of Cuban cigars by U.S. citizens anywhere in the world.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.treasury.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/legacy/ccigar2.pdf | title=Cuban Cigar Update | format=[[PDF]]|publisher=[[United States Department of the Treasury]] | accessdate=2006-04-22}}</ref> ===Terri Schiavo=== {{see also|Government involvement in the Terri Schiavo case}} DeLay made headlines for his role in the [[Terri Schiavo]] controversy. On [[Palm Sunday]] weekend in March 2005, several days after the brain-damaged Florida woman's feeding tube was disconnected for the third time, the House met in emergency session to pass a bill allowing Schiavo's parents to petition a federal judge to review the removal of the feeding tube. DeLay called the removal of the feeding tube "an act of barbarism." DeLay faced accusations of hypocrisy from critics when the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' revealed that he had consented to ending [[life support]] for his father, who had been in a [[coma]]tose state because of a debilitating accident in 1988.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/03/27/MNGTRBVFV01.DTL | title=In '88, accident forced DeLays to choose between life, death | publisher=The Los Angeles Times | date=March 27, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-15}}</ref> DeLay was accused of endorsing violence in the wake of a series of high-profile violent crimes and death threats against judges when he said, "The men responsible [for Terri Schiavo's death] will have to answer to their behavior." DeLay's comments came soon after the [[February 28]] [[2005]] homicide of the mother and husband of Chicago Judge [[Joan Lefkow]], and the [[March 11]] [[2005]] killing of Atlanta Judge [[Rowland Barnes]]. DeLay's opponents accused him of rationalizing violence against judges when their decisions were unpopular with the public. [[Ralph Neas]], President of [[People for the American Way]], said that DeLay's comments were "irresponsible and could be seen by some as justifying inexcusable conduct against our courts."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26236-2005Apr4.html | publisher=The Washington Post | title=Senator Links Violence to 'Political' Decisions | author=Babington, Charles | date=April 5, 2005|accessdate=2006-04-15}}</ref> DeLay publicly apologized for the remark after being accused of threatening the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]. ===Jack Abramoff Scandal=== {{Jack Abramoff}} {{see also|Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal}} DeLay may be one of the targets of the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's actions. Abramoff allegedly provided DeLay with trips, gifts, and political donations in exchange for favors to Abramoff's lobbying clients, which included the government of the U.S. Commonwealth of the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Internet gambling]] services, and several Native American tribes.<ref name="underscrutiny">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/25/AR2005112501423_pf.html | title=Lawmakers Under Scrutiny in Probe of Lobbyist | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Schmidt, Susan, and James V. Grimaldi | date=November 26, 2005|accessdate=2006-04-16}}</ref> Two of DeLay's former political aides, [[Tony Rudy]] and [[Michael Scanlon]], as well as Abramoff himself, pleaded guilty in 2006 to charges relating to the investigation. Political columnist [[Robert Novak]] has since reported that Abramoff "has no derogatory information about former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and is not implicating him as part of his plea bargain with federal prosecutors."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://townhall.com/opinion/columns/robertnovak/2006/03/25/191300.html | title=Abramoff clearing DeLay | date=March 25, 2006 | accessdate=2006-04-16 | author=[[Bob Novak|Novak, Robert]]}}</ref> According to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[20/20]]'' television program, Abramoff lobbied DeLay to stop legislation banning [[sex shop]]s and [[sweatshop]]s that forced employees to have [[abortion]]s in the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] when Abramoff accompanied DeLay on a 1997 trip to the U.S. [[commonwealth]]. While on the trip, DeLay promised not to put the bill on the legislative calendar.<ref name="islandgetaway">{{cite news | url=http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=647725&page=1 | title=DeLay's Lavish Island Getaway | publisher=[[ABC News]]|author=[[Brian Ross (journalist)|Ross, Brian]] | date=April 6, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-16}}</ref> In 2000, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a worker reform bill to extend the protection of U.S. labor and [[minimum wage|minimum-wage]] laws to the workers in the Northern Mariana Islands. DeLay, then the House Republican Whip, stopped the House from considering the bill.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/09/real.delay/ | title=The real scandal of Tom DeLay | publisher=CNN | author=[[Mark Shields|Shields, Mark]] | date=May 9, 2005|accessdate=2006-04-16}}</ref> DeLay later blocked a fact-finding mission planned by Rep. [[Peter Hoekstra]] by threatening Hoekstra with the loss of his subcommittee chairmanship.<ref name="islandgetaway" /> DeLay received gifts from Abramoff, including paid golfing holidays to [[Scotland]], concert tickets, and the use of Abramoff's private [[Luxury box|skyboxes]] for fundraisers. In May 2000, ARMPAC received the free use of one of Abramoff's private skyboxes to host a political fundraiser. At the time, campaign finance laws did not require the use of the skybox, valued at several thousand dollars, to be disclosed or for Abramoff to be reimbursed for its use.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7577057/ | title=DeLay used lobbyist's concert skybox | publisher=The Associated Press | date=April 20, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-16}}</ref> Later that month, the DeLays, Rudy, another aide, and Abramoff took a trip to [[London]] and Scotland. Abramoff paid for the airfare for the trip, and lobbyist Ed Buckham paid for expenses at a hotel at [[St. Andrews]] golf course in Scotland.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12416-2005Apr23.html | title=DeLay Airfare Was Charged to Lobbyist's Credit Card | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Smith, R. Jeffrey | date=April 24, 2005 | accessdate=2006-06-21}}</ref> Abramoff was reimbursed by The National Center for Public Policy Research, the nonprofit organization that arranged the trip. On the day that the trip began, The National Center received large donations from two of Abramoff's clients, internet lottery service eLottery, Inc., and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Both organizations denied that they had intended to pay for DeLay's trip.<ref name="gamblinginterests">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28252-2005Mar11.html | title=Gambling Interests Funded DeLay Trip | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Grimaldi, James V., and R. Jeffrey Smith | date=March 12, 2005 | accessdate=2006-06-21}}</ref> House rules forbid members to accept travel expenses from lobbyists, and require that members inquire into the sources of funds that nonprofits use to pay for trips. DeLay denied knowing that lobbyists had paid for travel expenses. In July 2000, DeLay voted against a bill that would have restricted Internet gambling. Both eLottery and the Choctaws opposed the bill.<ref name="gamblinginterests" /> Rudy, who was then DeLay's deputy chief of staff, doomed the bill by engineering a parliamentary maneuver that required a two-thirds majority vote, rather than a simple majority, in order for the bill to pass. Rudy's actions on behalf of Abramoff's clients during this time were mentioned in Abramoff's guilty plea in January 2006.<ref name="Rudyinvestigation">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/09/AR2006010900952.html | title=Abramoff Probe Turns Focus on DeLay Aide | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Weisman, Jonathan | date=January 8, 2006 | accessdate=2006-06-21}}</ref> In January 2006, [[The Associated Press]] reported that in 2001, DeLay co-signed a letter to [[U.S. Attorney General]] [[John Ashcroft]] calling for the closure of a casino owned by the [[Alabama-Coushatta Tribe]] of Texas. Two weeks earlier, the Choctaws had donated $1,000 to DeLay's [[Texans for a Republican Majority]] PAC (TRMPAC). A DeLay spokesman denied that the donations had influenced DeLay's actions.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/10/politics/main1196412.shtml | title=Report: DeLay Pushed To Shut Casino | publisher=The Associated Press | date=January 10, 2006 | accessdate=2006-04-16}}</ref> Currently, and at the time of the letter, casinos or other private gambling establishments are illegal in Texas, even on Indian reservations.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/PE/content/htm/pe.010.00.000047.00.htm | title=Texas Penal Code, Chapter 47: Gambling | accessdate=2006-04-22}}</ref> Scanlon, who became Abramoff's lobbying partner, pleaded guilty in November 2005 to [[conspiracy]] charges.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/21/scanlon.plea/ | title= DeLay ex-aide pleads guilty in Abramoff case | publisher=CNN | author=Frieden, Terry | date=November 21, 2005 | accessdate=2006-06-21}}</ref> Abramoff pleaded guilty to [[fraud]], [[tax evasion]], and [[conspiracy]] charges on [[January 3]], [[2006]], and agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation. His cooperation may have forced DeLay to abandon his efforts to return to his position as House Majority Leader,<ref name="Rudyinvestigation" /> a decision that DeLay announced only a few days after Abramoff's plea bargain. Rudy pleaded guilty on [[March 31]], [[2006]], to illegally acting on Abramoff's behalf in exchange for gifts.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/31/AR2006033101742.html | title=A Force Behind the Power | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Eilperin, Juliet, and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum | date=April 1, 2006 | accessdate=2006-06-21}}</ref> Abramoff referred clients to Ed Buckham's [[Alexander Strategy Group]] (ASG), a lobbying firm. In addition, Abramoff clients gave more than $1.5 million to Buckham's U.S. Family Network, which then paid ASG more than $1 million.<ref>{{cite news | title=Former DeLay Aide Enriched By Nonprofit | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR2006032501166_pf.html | last=Smith | first=R. Jeffrey | publisher=The Washington Post | date=March 26, 2006}}</ref> From 1998 to 2002, ASG paid Christine DeLay a monthly [[salary]] averaging between $3,200.00 and $3,400.00. DeLay's attorney, Richard Cullen, initially said the payments were for telephone calls she made periodically to the offices of certain members of Congress seeking the names of their favorite charities, and that she then forwarded that information to Buckham, along with some information about those charities. In early June 2006, Cullen said the payments were also for general political consulting she provided to her husband. In all, Christine DeLay was paid about $115,000 directly by ASG, and got another $25,000 via money put into a retirement account by the firm.<ref>{{cite news | title=Retirement Account of DeLay's Wife Traced: With Disclosure, Family's Known Benefits From Ties With Lobbyist Exceed $490,000 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601320.html | last=Smith | first=R. Jeffrey | publisher=The Washington Post | date=June 7, 2006}}</ref> Her work with ASG has been the subject of an inquiry by the Department of Justice.<ref name="underscrutiny" /><ref>{{cite news | title=Lobbying Probe Looks at Payments To DeLay's Wife | url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115751113432354767-RTaE1AhatX6WxT2GjgW5_t0PgLo_20070906.html?mod=blogs | last=Mullins | first=Brody | publisher=The Wall Street Journal | date=September 6, 2006}}</ref> ==Investigation of Texas fundraising and indictments== {{main|Tom DeLay campaign finance investigation}} ==2006 campaign== {{main|Texas 22nd congressional district election, 2006}} ==Post-Congressional career== On [[December 10]], [[2006]], DeLay launched a [[weblog]] that is, [[as of 2006]], [[Ghostwriter|ghostwritten]] based on DeLay's ideas.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Olbermann_mocks_DeLay_for_ghost_blogging_1212.html | title=Olbermann mocks DeLay for 'ghost blogging' | publisher=The Raw Story | author=Edwards, David and Ron Brynaert | date=[[December 12]] [[2006]] | accessdate=2006-12-13}}</ref> On [[March 14]], [[2007]], DeLay co-authored ''[[No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight]]'' (ISBN 1595230343) with [[Stephen Mansfield]]. He appeared on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' on [[May 17]], [[2007]] to promote the book.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/05/18/colbert-nails-a-clueless-tom-delay/ | title=Colbert Nails a Clueless Tom DeLay | publisher=Crooks and Liars | author=SilentPatriot | date=[[May 18]] [[2007]] | accessdate=2008-05-03}}</ref> ==Media Portrayal== * [http://tomdelaymovie.com/ THE BIG BUY: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress] is a documentary about the politics of Tom Delay.<ref>[http://tomdelaymovie.com/ THE BIG BUY: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress ]</ref> ==References== ===Notes=== <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> <references/> </div> ==Further reading== *{{cite news | url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/csc/486feature.php | title=Without DeLay | last=Burka | first=Paul | publisher=[[Texas Monthly]] | month=May | year=2006}} *{{cite news | url=http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/delay_baby_shower_reliant_abramoff_406.htm | title=DeLay daughter's baby shower held by Texas energy firm under investigation | last=Byrne | first=John | publisher=[[The Raw Story]] | date=April 6, 2005}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/28/delay.indict/index.html | title=DeLay indicted, steps down as majority leader | publisher=CNN | date=September 29, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-15}} *{{cite web | url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2005/10/tom-delays-challenge-to-texas-grand.php | title=Tom DeLay's Challenge to Texas Grand Jury Process | publisher=[[JURIST]] | last=Dix | first=George | date=October 21, 2005}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A56952-2000Sep21&notFound=true | title=DeLay Thanks Lobbyists With Vegas Trip | last=Eilperin | first=Juliet | publisher=[[The Washington Post]] | date=September 22, 2000}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=7151 | title=Texas Smear Machine Targets DeLay | last=Flaherty | first=Peter | publisher=[[The American Spectator]] | date=September 23, 2004}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/28-06222004-320599.html | title=Ethics Panel Reviewing DeLay Complaint | last=Gamboa | first=Suzanne | publisher=[[The Associated Press]] | date=June 23, 2004}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/keane200405211320.asp | title=Tom's Kids | last=Keane | first=Meghan | publisher=The National Review | date=May 21, 2004}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.slate.com/id/1002713/ | title=What Did You Do in the War, Hammer? | publisher=[[Slate.com]] | date=May 4, 1999 | last=Noah | first=Timothy}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/07/AR2006040701942.html | title=DeLay's Next Mission From God | last=Perl | first=Peter | publisher=The Washington Post | date=April 9, 2006}} *{{cite web | url=http://www.tray.com/docs/20050728amer_rep_maj.pdf | title=Report of the Audit Division on Americans for a Republican Majority | format=[[PDF]] | publisher=PoliticalMoneyLine.com}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/rice200503230745.asp | title=Bugged By Tom DeLay | last=Rice | first=Ned | publisher=The National Review | date=March 23, 2005}} *{{cite news | title=DeLay Disputes Charges Of Abuse In Saipan | publisher=[[The Galveston County Daily News]] | last=Schlader | first=Marty | date=May 15, 2005}} *{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090800973.html | title=DeLay PAC Is Indicted For Illegal Donations | publisher=The Washington Post | last=Smith | first=R. Jeffrey | date=September 9, 2005 | accessdate=2006-04-17}} ==External links== {{sisterlinks|Tom DeLay}} ===Weblog=== *[http://www.tomdelay.com Tom DeLay.com] ===Biography=== * {{CongLinks|congbio=D000217}} ===U.S. Government links=== *[http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/106cong/fullcomm/00apr12/delay.htm DeLay testimony] to the Committee on Resources, [[April 12]] [[2000]], in which he argued against restrictions on oil exploration *[http://www.house.gov/ethics/Medicare_Report.pdf Investigation of Certain Allegations Related to Voting on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003], Report of the Committee of Standards of Official Conduct, [[September 30]] [[2004]]. 72-page pdf file. ===Indictments=== *[http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/delay/delay92805ind.pdf Copy of conspiracy indictment] ''State of Texas v. Colyandro, Ellis & DeLay'' ([[PDF]]) *[http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/metro/100405_delayindictment.pdf Copy of money laundering indictment] ''State of Texas v. Colyandro, Ellis & DeLay'' ([[PDF]]) {{start box}} {{s-par|us-tx-hs}} {{TXHouseSuccession box |district = 21 |hometown = Sugar Land |before = [[Joe A. Hubenak]] |after = [[Mark Stiles]] |years = 1979–1983}} {{TXHouseSuccession box |district = 26 |hometown = Sugar Land |before = [[Jack R. Hawkins]] |after = [[Jim Tallas]] | years = 1983–1985}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{USRepSuccession box |state=Texas |district=22 |before=[[Ron Paul]] |after=[[Shelley Sekula-Gibbs]] |years=1984–June 9, 2006}} {{s-ppo}} {{succession box two to one |title1=[[House Majority Whip]] |before1=[[David Bonior]]<br><small>Michigan</small> |after=[[Roy Blunt]]<br><small>Missouri</small> |years1=1995–2003 |title2=[[Republican Whip of the United States House of Representatives|House Republican Whip]] |before2=[[Newt Gingrich]]<br><small>Georgia</small> |years2=1995–2003}} {{succession box |title=[[House Majority Leader]]<br>[[House Republican Leader]] |before=[[Dick Armey|Richard K. Armey]]<br><small>Texas</small> |after=[[Roy Blunt]] (acting)<br><small>Missouri</small> |years=2003–[[September 28]], [[2005]]}} {{end box}} {{USHouseMajLead}} {{USHouseMajWhip}} {{Persondata |NAME=DeLay, Tom |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Delay, Thomas Dale; DeLay, Thomas |SHORT DESCRIPTION=American Republican politician |DATE OF BIRTH=[[April 8]] [[1947]] |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Laredo, Texas]] |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Delay, Tom}} [[Category:1947 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Baptists from the United States]] [[Category:Congressional scandals]] [[Category:Majority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives]] [[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas]] [[Category:Members of the Texas House of Representatives]] [[Category:Ozone hole skeptics]] [[Category:People from Laredo, Texas]] [[Category:People from Alexandria, Virginia]] [[Category:Texas Republicans]] [[Category:University of Houston alumni]] [[Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics]] [[Category:American adoptive parents]] [[de:Tom DeLay]] [[es:Tom DeLay]] [[fr:Tom DeLay]] [[nl:Tom DeLay]] [[ja:トム・ディレイ]] [[no:Tom DeLay]] [[pl:Tom DeLay]] [[fi:Tom DeLay]] [[sv:Tom DeLay]]