Category Archives: Scandalized!

TAPPED brings us this Roll Call article on Ralph Reed and the millions he’s been given to pimp casino gambling by a disgraced lobbyist. Reed was paid more than $3.8 million during a yearlong period in 2001 and 2002 by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Interesting – an unpublished opinion by the Texas Ethics Commission in 1998 suggests that yes, corporate donations to PACs for political purposes are banned by state law. Fred Lewis, executive director of Campaigns for People, said the unpublished opinion shows … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The AusChron brings us some news in the TAB/TRM investigation/lawsuit front (which The Stakeholder has already commented on). The bottom line here is that all of these cases are stuck in molasses – the original lawsuit against TAB was filed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One can call Deal Hudson a hypocrite if one is so inclined. Personally, after reading this story about him, I’d say he’s a jerk, and then some. Hudson resigned a faculty position at Fordham University after being accused of sexually … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And another entry in the Gregg Phillips files. A deputy human services commissioner awarded a $1.2 million consulting contract to a company whose lobbyist employed the commissioner’s former business partner as a consultant. Gregg Phillips oversaw the Texas Health and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Sunday Chron had an editorial that connected a few of the more recent DeLay dots. First came the grand jury investigation. The Travis County district attorney is trying to find out whether House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s Texans for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Travis County DA Ronnie Earle has dismissed a complaint against Rep. Martin Frost that he made illegal use of corporate campaign donations. U.S. Rep. Martin Frost has been cleared of an allegation that he illegally funneled more than $100,000 in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Oops. The backlash has forced Governor Perry to cut loose Marty McCartt, the wife of the lobbyist to whom he gave a cushy job. The wife of a lobbyist with close ties to the governor has resigned from her job … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I don’t see anything in Google News yet, but according to this Roll Call article, sent to me by the ever-vigilant AJ Garcia, the House Ethics Committee has exercised its option to put off doing anything on the complaint by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

All of you who are surprised to hear that Governor Perry received large campaign contributions from horse racing interests shortly before the special session in which he proposed to allow slot machines at horse tracks, raise your hands. No one? … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The House Ethics Committee meets today, and judging from the comments of Chairman Joel Hefley, it looks like they know how to stay bought: “The so-called good government groups always want us to do an outside counsel,” said committee Chairman … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron tut-tuts Rick Perry for giving a $40K/year job to a lobbyist’s wife. Any more emotion on their part and I might actually be able to detect a pulse. Elsewhere on the Patronage Patrol, here’s a nice parting gift … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Some various bits of Tom DeLay-related news from the past few days… Taking On Tom DeLay point to this Morning News article in which some charges against The Hammer from 1998 are revisited. This week, DeLay opponents latched onto the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You know, the truly beautiful thing about throwing a couple hundred thousand poor children off of the state’s health insurance program is that it helps free up the cash needed to hire your buddy’s wife to the vital position of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Austin Chronicle took a look at the Perry impeachment talk and makes some sense of it. They summarize: [T]he Big Push to impose casinos into Texas – under the guise, like a streetwalker in a cheerleader skirt, of funding … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tom DeLay is disputing the allegations that Enron money went to TRMPAC as part of the grand re-redistricting scheme (see here). DeLay’s Americans for a Republican Majority deposited $25,000 from Enron on Nov. 7, 2001, according to documents provided by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron finally writes a story of its own on the DeLay/Enron revelations. Nothing new, really, but there is a new line of defense put forth by Jonathan “Caricature Assassination” Grella: DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella said there was nothing wrong … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Couple of useful Kos diary entries for you here, tracking who got DeLay PAC money, and who’s giving the money. Check it out. Continue reading →

Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) has filed an FOIA request with the FEC to find out more about Westar’s illegal campaign contributions. The Stakeholder was first to note this yesterday afternoon. Still no original coverage in the … Continue reading →

Taking On Tom DeLay notes that one of DeLay’s defense attorneys may be needed as a witness in the TRMPAC investigation. Quoting from a Roll Call article: Former Rep. Ed Bethune (R-Ark.), now a partner at the law firm Bracewell … Continue reading → Continue reading →

All I can say is wow. In May 2001, Enron’s top lobbyists in Washington advised the company chairman that then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was pressing for a $100,000 contribution to his political action committee, in addition to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’d say this is as good a reason as any why Tom DeLay doesn’t fear Chris Bell’s ethics complaint against him, GOP attempts to make it go away by fiat notwithstanding. WASHINGTON — Of the five Republicans investigating an ethics … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Atrios reported this late last week, but it’s just now getting into the media. rep. Joe Barton is being criticized for using his Congressional privilege of sending free mail (called “franking”) to people who aren’t yet his constituents. Morris Meyer, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Political Wire and an email tip from AJ Garcia, I see that Tom DeLay has hired himself some lawyers to handle both the ethics complaint against him in the House and the Travis County grand jury investigation into TRM/TAB. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Clay Robison notes that all of the Democrats’ complaints in their exploration of impeachment against Governor Perry were first aired by Republicans, and that by raising these charges the odds of another special session have dropped. If that’s so, then … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Yellow Dog Blog noted yesterday this Brownsville Herald article in which some State House Democrats have explored the possibility of starting impeachment proceedings against Governor Perry. Today, the Chron, Express News, and Morning News pick up the story as well. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Three cheers for Walter Willis of Tomball, who wrote the following letter to the editor of the Chron: Our pathetic status quo The Chronicle’s June 27 Outlook article “Your 15 minutes are up, Mr. Bell,” from U.S. Rep. John R. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

According to The Nation, the burgeoning scandal/investigation into the activities of DeLay cohorts Jack Abramoff and Mike Scanlon is about to reach out and touch former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed. In early 2002 the Coushatta tribe of Louisiana was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This op-ed by Ed Shack, an “attorney specializing in First Amendment law and state and national election and campaign laws and regulations” makes the case that no one really knows how to follow campaign finance laws because it’s all so … Continue reading → Continue reading →

According to this Statesman article, Travis County DA Ronnie Earle is saying that the corporations that financed the 2002 GOP takeover of the state Legislature is facing greater scrutiny than Tom DeLay himself. The shift in emphasis is just the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

May as well get used to this sort of thing now that Chris Bell has taken his stand against Tom DeLay. You will note that nowhere in this piece does Rep. John Carter offer any kind of rebuttal to any … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I suspect this was a formality, but it’s still nice to see it happen. The House ethics committee decided Tuesday to proceed with its own investigation into allegations filed against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay by Rep. Chris Bell, D-Houston. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Looks like I missed out on some radio fun this afternoon, as Chris Bell and John Culberson went at it on Pacifica station KPFT this afternoon. Rob posts his impressions, while Greg has some actual MP3s of the show from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s a handy dandy guide to the various scandals, investigations, and allegations of impropriety currently being bandied about in our fair state. Even I had lost track of one or two of these. No clue when any of them will … Continue reading → Continue reading →