ADIOS SHITSTAIN!!!!!!!!!!

DeLay steps down as majority leader
'I have always acted in an ethical matter,' he says

By William L. Watts & Steve Gelsi, MarketWatch
Last Update: 4:33 PM ET Jan. 7, 2006
Disable MW live quotes | E-mail it | Print | Alert | Reprint | ?
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Rep. Tom DeLay informed fellow Republicans Saturday that he will not seek to return to the post of majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.


"I have always acted in an ethical manner," DeLay told House Republicans in a letter. "At the same time, "I cannot allow our adversaries to divide and distract our attention."

Later in an afternoon in a news conference, he said he "will continue to serve his constituents" in Congress.

The move quells any hopes by DeLay to fight his way back to the No. 2 post in the House, and sets the stage for a potentially divisive succession battle as lawmakers prepare for the 2006 midterm elections.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Saturday said the vote for a new majority leader will likely take place during the week of Jan. 31.

Under the rules of the House GOP conference, DeLay was forced to relinquish his leadership post last year after he was indicted in Texas on charges he violated state campaign finance laws.

DeLay, who retained his House seat, has maintained that the charges were politically motivated and had vowed that he would return to the leadership once exonerated.

But those hopes were demolished this week when, in an unrelated case, Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist with close ties to DeLay and his former staffers, pleaded guilty to a host of felony charges and agreed to aid federal prosecutors investigating congressional corruption.

DeLay wasn't named in the indictment, but former DeLay aides have been tied to the investigation.

Democrats have sought to tie the legal troubles to what they describe as a "culture of corruption" fostered under the Republican leadership.

"For years, at the expense of the American people, the House Republicans have enabled and benefited from the Republican culture of corruption engineered by Tom DeLay. The culture of corruption is so pervasive in the Republican conference that a single person stepping down is not nearly enough to clean up the Republican Congress," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Worries about the potential fallout from the Abramoff case rattled House Republicans.

The end appeared certain for DeLay's leadership prospects Friday when reports emerged that Reps. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Charlie Bass, R-N.H., had began circulating a petition calling for leadership elections to permanently replace the Texas lawmaker.

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the House majority whip who has also served as acting majority leader since DeLay stepped down last year, is expected to run to replace DeLay on a permanent basis when House Republicans meet to select a new majority leader.

In a brief written statement, Blunt praised DeLay.

"In keeping with his long commitment to our majority and the ideas we represent, he has chosen to step aside from his leadership position. It is my firm belief that he will beat these baseless charges and will continue to be a strong, effective and committed leader in our efforts to protect our country, limit the scope of government, and win the battle of ideas," Blunt said.

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee a one-time DeLay rival, is also expected to pursue the post.

In a statement, Boehner said he and DeLay, "have had our differences over the years," but praised the Texan as "one of the most effective and gifted leaders the Republican Party has ever known." Neither Blunt nor Boehner mentioned their future plans.

With Blunt expected to pursue the No. 2 post, the position of majority whip would also likely be open. Zach Wamp of Tennessee is the only declared candidate for a leadership post so far, according to Congressional Quarterly. Wamp has previously said he would run for whip, the No. 3 post in the House leadership, if an election were called.

Meanwhile, a DeLay spokesman told Reuters that the congressman would remain in the House and is "running for re-election" to his seat representing a Houston-area district in November.

DeLay has insisted he is innocent of the Texas charges. He has repeatedly accused the prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, of going after him as part of a political vendetta.

DeLay faces charges that he laundered campaign money used in state legislature races.

Known as "The Hammer" for pounding out a conservative political agenda, DeLay was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1984. He became majority leader in 2002.

In September, 2004, a Texas grand jury indicted three of his associates for allegedly using corporate money to help elect Republican candidates in an apparent violation of Texas state law.


William L. Watts is a reporter for MarketWatch.
Steve Gelsi is a reporter for MarketWatch in New York.



http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B3992187D-9ACF-4802-89D2-A967481BCC71%7D&siteid=google&dist=