DeLay: I told you not to use your American Express

Now does this sound like someone you would vote for? Delay's trip to golf resort paid for by Abramoff

The paper trail seems so obvious it makes you wonder whether anyone ever worried about getting caught. When Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and his wife flew from Houston to a golf resort in Scotland in June 2000, the first-class airfare cost $14,001, a big-ticket item for a public servant. But someone else paid.

The American Express bills of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges in January, show he footed the bill for the tickets, in an apparent violation of House ethics rules.
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"There are many members of Congress who will not sleep well tonight," said Wertheimer at the time of the investigation. "This is a blockbuster of an investigation that will reach deep inside the power structure."

Federal authorities told ABC News that Abramoff began providing details of his dealings with DeLay and pinpointing a long list of senators and representatives more than a year ago.

Anyone with a sound mind should not.

Best of friends

Update from TP:

During his interview with Fox News today, Tom DeLay said his hands are clean of Abramoff’s malfeasance:

I’ve hired lawyers that look through everything that we’ve done, my relationship with Jack Abramoff, every contact we made with him, everything. And they’ve given me a complete bill — clean bill of health.

Maybe he should find some new lawyers...

AP is now reporting that:

Prosecutors have asked a travel agency to turn over records on a trip to Britain that Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), then the House majority leader, took in 2000 with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

A subpoena issued Wednesday seeks documents on travel services bought by the now-disgraced Abramoff for himself, DeLay, DeLay's wife, a DeLay aide-turned-lobbyist and two others.

The subpoena includes statements from Abramoff's credit card showing that he paid the travel agency nearly $40,000 for the group's airfare for the trip to England and Scotland. It is against House rules for a lobbyist to put a congressman's expenses on his credit card.

Maybe he should hire some more lawyers.