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PRESS

Statment From CREW’s Executive Director Melanie Sloan on the Resignation of Tom Delay

Rep. Tom DeLay’s (R-TX) resignation marks the end of an era of rampant congressional corruption. Unfortunately, DeLay’s departure does not, however, indicate that Congress is ready to clean up its act.

After numerous Democratic corruption scandals – the House banking scandal, the post office scandal and the Dan Rostenkowski scandal – Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 1994 claiming that they would reform Washington. Instead, they have been responsible for the biggest scandal in congressional history.

With Rep. DeLay’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Tony Rudy’s plea to bribery and conspiracy last Friday, former aide Michael Scanlon’s guilty plea last year, and former Chief of Staff Edwin Buckham’s likely indictment not far behind, the noose is tightening around Rep. DeLay’s own neck and his political career is over. It is now apparent that a criminal enterprise was being run out of DeLay’s congressional office.

CREW has worked to draw attention to Rep. DeLay’s unethical and illegal activities since its inception in 2003. CREW wrote the ethics complaint against Rep. DeLay, filed by former Rep. Chris Bell (D-TX) with the House Ethics Committee, for which Rep. DeLay was admonished in 2004. CREW has also led the fight to ensure that others in Rep. DeLay’s web of corruption be held accountable for their actions.

Capitol Hill’s response to the parade of corrupt activities has been underwhelming. Not a single ethics/lobbying reform bill in the House of Representatives would have prevented the current scandal and none will prevent future unethical acts. The anemic proposals on both sides of the aisle show that Congress is not serious about reform. Neither Rep. David Dreier’s (R-CA) legislation nor Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s bill contain any oversight or enforcement mechanisms, leaving the bills utterly toothless.

We hope that Rep. DeLay’s resignation will not only end a vindictive, power-hungry, and corrupt politician’s career, but that it will signal the beginning of a new era of members attacking unethical activities as ferociously as they attack their political opponents.