corrente

Yes, Tom "Don't call me French!" DéLay's behavior is too noxious even for the House Ethics Committee. So, they gave him thirty lashings with a wet noodle (as Ann Landers used to say):

The House ethics committee Wednesday criticized House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for conduct that appeared to link political donations to legislation and for improperly contacting U.S. aviation authorities for political purposes, House sources said Wednesday.

The committee's findings were an extraordinary second rebuke of the Texas Republican's ethical conduct in just six days.

The committee of five Democrats and five Republicans deferred to Texas authorities allegations that DeLay violated state campaign finance rules.

They punted to the great state of Texas? Why on earth?

The committee's findings - a report admonishing his conduct - nonetheless spared him a lengthy investigation by the ethics panel.

Well, that's a relief. Investigating DéLay would mean that the terrorists have won!

And now the money:

By concluding the case with no more than a report on DeLay's conduct, the investigation is unlikely to affect his ability to push the Republican agenda through the House if the GOP retains its majority.

Last Thursday the same committee, in an investigative report, admonished DeLay for offering to support the House candidacy of a Michigan lawmaker's son, in return for the lawmaker's vote for a Medicare prescription drug benefit.

The committee acted on a three-part complaint from Rep. Chris Bell, D-Texas. The allegations accused DeLay of soliciting political contributions from Westar Energy, a Kansas company, in return for legislative favors; violating Texas laws prohibiting corporate political donations; and improperly contacting aviation authorities to track down a plane carrying Texas Democratic legislators who were trying to defeat a DeLay-engineered congressional redistricting plan.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had not yet been released.

Westar executives made a $25,000 donation to an organization affiliated with DeLay just before attending a two-day get-together at a Virginia resort with the House GOP leader.

Described by a DeLay spokesman as "a golf fund-raising event," several executives from the Topeka-based company went to the 15,000-acre Homestead resort in early June 2002 for what participants said was an energy issues round table.

The committee said there was a "significant gap" between the Westar allegations - accusing DeLay of actually soliciting contributions in return for legislative favors - and the panel's findings.

"The information we obtained indicates that neither Representative DeLay nor anyone acting on his behalf improperly solicited contributions from Westar, and Representative DeLay took no action with regard to Westar that would constitute an impermissible special favor," the report said.

Hmmmm... As opposed to a permissible special favor? And why no mention of Enron (back)?

However, the committee said the golf fund-raising event "created the appearance of impropriety."

Uh huh, "appearance." But I don't think it's the sense of sight that's at issue, eh? You know, some scientists got a Nobel prize the other day for figuring out the sense of smell. But I guess the news hasn't penetrated Republican Washington.... But wait! There's more!

The allegations of improper contact with the Federal Aviation Administration focused on calls from DeLay's office on May 12, 2003, to locate the plane of a Texas Democratic House member.

The lawmaker and Democratic colleagues left the state for Oklahoma to prevent a vote in the Legislature on a GOP redistricting plan.

A report from the Transportation Department's inspector general found that DeLay's request set off a search that spread over eight hours and involved at least 13 FAA employees.
(via AP)

Gee, it's almost like DéLay thinks the entire government is a tool for the Republicans. Oh, wait....

UPDATE And the beauty part—if that's the phrase I want—is that DéLay's just had plastic surgery on his eyelids. We will now await all the excited discussion from the millionaire pundits about how plastic surgery means "Tom DéLay doesn't know who he really is." And so on. Not!

UPDATE The text of the Ethics Committee memo.