Lott: DeLay Scandal 'Manufactured'

NewsMax ^ | 4/17/05 | Carl Limbacher

[wagglebee]

Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott charged on Sunday that partisan critics had "manufactured" the so-called scandal swirling around House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

"This is a manufactured controversy," Lott told ABC's "This Week." "It's a continuation of the politics of personal destruction that we've seen in Washington for years." Lott called allegations that DeLay had broken House ethics rules by taking trips paid by lobbyists and placing family members on his campaign payroll - "a rehash of a rehash of something that was reported two years ago, which is not a violation of ethics or the law."

The Mississippi Republican said that DeLay is under attack because he is "an aggressive strong leader who's done a fantastic job in the House of Representatives for ten years."

Lott's comments suggested that he was trying to head off the kind of Republican cave in that forced him to step down as Senate Majority Leader in Dec. 2002.

After he praising one-time segregationist Dixiecrat, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, at his 100th birthday party, Democrats - whose leaders include Ku Klux Klansman-turned Senator Robert Byrd - complained that Lott's remarks were racist.

Rather than demand that Byrd leave the Senate over his long history of racism, the Bush White House abandoned Lott, making his resignation as majority leader all but inevitable.

[wagglebee]

"This is a manufactured controversy," Lott told ABC's "This Week." "It's a continuation of the politics of personal destruction that we've seen in Washington for years." Lott called allegations that DeLay had broken House ethics rules by taking trips paid by lobbyists and placing family members on his campaign payroll - "a rehash of a rehash of something that was reported two years ago, which is not a violation of ethics or the law."

The 'Rats have their sights set on DeLay and they're not going to let this go away without a fight, and I'm glad that Tom DeLay is giving them one.

[EagleUSA]

The 'Rats have their sights set on DeLay and they're not going to let this go away without a fight, and I'm glad that Tom DeLay is giving them one.
=====
The stinking rats are just that. The politics of negativism and destruction are all they are about -- they can offer nothing else to this country. By definition they are irrelevant, useless and obstructionist.

[bgsugar]

Tom has the guts to fight the fight.

Let's hope the rest of the Republicans have some courage also and any self-serving opportunists or weak-kneeded political hacks need to be REAL careful about abandoning a leader who has fought major battles for them over the years.

If any Republicans jump ship, it's time to take names and find opponents for them immediately.

[Bommer]

The 'Rats have their sights set on DeLay and they're not going to let this go away without a fight, and I'm glad that Tom DeLay is giving them one

It shouldn't be Delay fighting alone. It should be the Repub-I CAN'T leadership attacking! They should open up investigations on all fronts on Boxer and Reid into their "abuse" of using money in hiring family members, weither it was cleared by an ethics committee or not.

Raise so much Hell that Democraps will think twice before having their Media Flying Monkeys create garbage like that.

But then again the Repub-I CAN'T's would have to possess testicles for that to happen huh?

[FairOpinion]

And in related news, "fine conservative" Tancredo says DeLay should step down anyway, who cares, if he is innocent and this is just a Dem attempt to get rid of him.


Tancredo Statement on Majority Leader Tom DeLay (from his own website)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385076/posts


Tancredo Statement on Majority Leader DeLay

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (CO-06) today said of embattled Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX):

“I believe that all of the charges against Tom DeLay I have seen to date lack merit. I believe they are being leveled in the hopes of brining him down, and with him the Republican Majority,” said Tancredo. “However if the Majority Leader were to temporarily step aside so that these trumped up charges can be dealt with in a less hostile environment, as they have proven to be an unnecessary distraction, it may be a productive move.”

http://tancredo.house.gov/pressers/04.15.05%20Tancredo%20Statement%20on%20DeLay.htm

[FairOpinion]

Assault on DeLay is All About Politics

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1384832/posts

It has become increasingly clear in recent days that the hysterical Democratic attacks on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay are part of a coordinated effort to strike down conservative leaders in and out of Congress. The left's campaign also is designed to whip up the liberal base and raise funds for the same "outside" organizations that attacked President Bush and Republican candidates last year. Many of these groups are lavishly funded by international financier George Soros.

[Txsleuth]

I heard yesterday on Fox that Howard Dean gave a speech the other day and said that the Terri Schiavo case and Tom Delay would be the "campaign points" for 2006---they are supposedly going to take down the GOP by stressing those two "Republican problems".

[1L]

why didn't Lott act like this as majority leader? We'd probably have a few more judges confirmed by now.

[bill21]

I heard the same. I hope our leadsership stops attacking Delay, or else, it will work, I hate to say. Not saying we'll lose the majority. But it seems like few want to stand behind Delay, and even more, just want the Schiavo case to go away.

[Mark in the Old South]

Delay should make the GOP a deal. Back him or face him as a Third party candidate in 2008. But be prepared to follow through. Republicans seem to have more backbone stabbing a friend in the back then standing up to demoncrats.

[JOE43270]

I believe it is manufactured too. I'm also glad that Delay is standing up to those miserable RATS and RINOS. As a Life Member of the National Rifle Assoc. I'm proud to stand with him. God Bless America and all that protect Her.

[Bahbah]

I'm also glad that Delay is standing up to those miserable RATS and RINOS

I sent him an email of support. I don't believe he'll cave. They couldn't defeat the President so now they have turned their attention to other targets. Watch for more of this.

[CyberAnt]

I believe Lott was "abandoned" because he would not follow the WH's requests for certain issues to be brought before Congress. And .. because he was tooooooo friendly with the democrats.

It had nothing to do with any kind of "racist" issue at all.

[FairOpinion]

Dean Says Democrats Will Make Schiavo Case an Election Issue

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1384858/posts


"We're going to use Terri Schiavo later on," Dean said...

"This is going to be an issue in 2006, and it's going to be an issue in 2008," Dean told about 200 people at a gay rights group's breakfast in West Hollywood, "because we're going to have an ad with a picture of Tom DeLay saying, 'Do you want this guy to decide whether you die or not? Or is that going to be up to your loved ones?' "

[CyberAnt]

However, when the Constitutional Option takes place next week (over Justice Brown), I believe it will burst the bubble over the democrats. If they lose this power - they are out of business.

I don't believe it will shut the dems up - or even stop their constant whining .. but it WILL DIMINISH THE DEMS POWER SUBSTANTIALLY - and that will be the catalyst to the whole party - that the public is behind them and they just need to "do what's right and the politics will follow".

[Txsleuth]

I am glad you sent that e-mail of support to Tom Delay---

A lot of this has been brought up because of the redistricting done in Texas last year--two pretty prominent Democrats lost their House seats because of it---Chris Bell (who is a REALLY bad loser) and Martin Frost (who almost beat Nancy Pelosi for Minority Leader)---you also have a District Attorney in Ronnie Earle that is in their pockets and will do ANYTHING they ask to take down the GOP in Texas.

I think that any Republican better remember that Delay is one of the most prolific fundraisers in the GOP, and I bet he has a LONG memory of who backed him when it comes to divving up the $$$$$$.

[Txsleuth]

Seems like the Democrat Party is REALLY in love with the DNC leader, aren't they---has he been on any of the Sunday Talk Shows lately?

NO, I don't think so---now I wonder why that is?

I still think the puppeteer in all of this is Soros, who is keeping Howard Dean out of the spotlight, and keeping Hillbilly IN the spotlight---

[gorush]

Dear Trent, Janis had it right..."Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose..."

[Txsleuth]

And Lott has held a grudge ever since---he has been pretty reluctant to speak up for the President on a lot of matters because of such childishness that we see from WAY too many politicians---

For what WE pay them, you would think that they could conduct themselves in a much less petty way---my parents would never have let me get away with the whining that I have seen from a lot of politicians since 2000 when Bush first won.....