DeLay Trips Accounted for..and.. DEMS ARE TOP PRIVATE TRIP TAKERS

DeLay Trips Accounted for..and.. DEMS ARE TOP PRIVATE TRIP TAKERS
Blank Rome LLP ^ | April 12, 2005 | Comstock

Posted on 04/12/2005 12:18:28 PM PDT by bgsugar

DeLay Trips Accounted for.....and.... by the way....

DEMS ARE TOP PRIVATE TRIP TAKERS!!!!!

The Majority Leader and his office have already provided information about these trips when these stories get written and re-written for sensational value.

In addition, the Majority Leader also has instructed his staff to communicate about these trips to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Ethics Committee and sent letters to them saying he would be happy to discuss the trips.

In recent years, there has been a growing frenzy surrounding the Ethics Committee, with Democrats and their allies attempting to use it as a partisan tool and now as a blatant campaign weapon in conjunction with outside George Soros funded groups running ads.

The Majority Leader welcomes the opportunity to respond with facts and information, not the fiction and innuendo that have been thrown around, but Democrats seem to want to keep this as a partisan campaign issue rather than deal with facts.

- The National Center for Public Policy Research issued a statement last month describing its sponsorship and payment of DeLay trips and others reported on in the Washington Post in response to a similar story in The National Journal: "The National Center for Public Policy Research was careful to pay all the expenses associated with Congressman DeLay's trip. Reports to the contrary are incorrect."

- There have been a number of trips reported on by the Washington Post and others on which Rep. DeLay was a participant with other Members or staff. While the focus of most of these stories has been Rep.DeLay, these various stories include other members and staff of both political parties who had the same understandings as Rep. DeLay as to the sponsor of these trips and filed the same paperwork pursuant to those same understandings.

- Every year hundreds of members and staffers travel at the invitation of tax-exempt organizations that pay for their trips. The National Center for Policy Research was a properly registered tax exempt educational organization that sponsored a number of trips that dozens of Members and staff participated in.

THE 1997 RUSSIA TRIP:

- National Center statement: "The National Center for Public Policy Research sponsored and paid for educational trips to Russia and to Great Britain in 1997 and 2000 that included, at our invitation, Congressman Tom DeLay, Mrs. DeLay and Congressional staff members... "

- Three DeLay staff filed the same paperwork with the same understanding.

RE LONDON TRIPS:

- Various Members and staff reported this and similar trips in other years paid for by Center.

RE KOREA TRIP:

** At least eight House members and 15 House aides filed the same paperwork and information on the South Korea trips -- including:

** Rep. Faleomavaega, Democrat: Lisa Williams, chief of staff to Faleomavaega said the lawmaker "went through the process of clearing himself with the ethics committee" on the Korea trip. (AP)

** Rep. Jim McDermott, Democrat: "It's a great 20-20 hindsight story," said Michael DeCesare, spokesman for Rep. James McDermott, D-Wash., who went on one of the group's trips. McDermott's understanding, DeCesare said, "was that the ethics committee cleared this." (AP)

***** Like the dozens of Republican and Democrat members and staff who go on trips every year, Majority Leader DeLay reported this and other trips and provided the appropriate disclosure information.

** Privately Sponsored Trips are a Common Bipartisan Practice - Although Democrats Took Approx. 600 More Trips Over the Past Few Years.

*** In Past 4 Years, There Have Been Over 4800 Private Trips Costing $14.4m Between January 2000 and May 2004, organizations ranging from the Aspen Institute to the World Economic Forum that sponsors the yearly forum in Davos, Switzerland spent about $14.4 million to send lawmakers on more than 4,800 trips, according to an analysis of congressional trips by Medill News Service in partnership with American Public Media's Marketplace program and American RadioWorks.

** Aspen Institute, the Top Trip Provider is a Favorite of Democrats Spending a Total of $2.7 million on 490 trips with 69.2% spent on Democrats; 30% on Republicans and 8% on Independents. The Aspen Institute forums are held in such locations as Rome, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Honolulu, Hawaii; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and the Bahamas.

** From 2000-2004, Despite Being The Minority Party, Democrat Members Of Congress Took 54.3% of the trips (2,730), Totaling $7,809,837.87. (Steve Henn, "Power Trips," americanradioworks.publicradio.org, Accessed 4/7/05)

** Republicans Took 45.3% of the Trips (2,095), Totaling $6,512,990.35. (Steve Henn, "Power Trips," americanradioworks.publicradio.org, Accessed 4/7/05)

** Democrats Took Over 600 More Trips than Republicans.

***** The Top Five Trip Takers In Order Of Most Spent On Trips From 2000-2004 Were All Democrats:

** Former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) Was The Top Trip-Taker In Congress, Taking 59 Trips, Totaling $158,311.92. (Steve Henn, "Power Trips," americanradioworks.publicradio.org, Accessed 4/7/05)

"Breaux Is The King Of Congressional Travel. He's Taken More Free Trips Than Any Elected Official On Capitol Hill." ("King Of Travel,"