The case of two congressmen illuminates the battle against corruption in Congress. Colorado Congressman Joel Hefley of Colorado Springs, a religious, conservative Republican, is one of the most ethical politicians I have known, calm and incorruptible. U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, also a Republican, is renowned for his ethical lapses, his huge ego and his bullying. The two congressmen clashed over a House ethics committee investigation of DeLay conducted while Hefley chaired the committee.
Under Hefley’s leadership, the bipartisan committee, comprised of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, admonished DeLay three times for unethical behavior. In response, the House GOP leadership replaced Hefley and his Republican colleagues on the ethics committee with DeLay’s own pals, several of whom had even contributed to his defense fund. Next, they changed the committee’s rules to make it virtually impossible to investigate anyone.
Quite a lesson on how to turn a disinterested, bipartisan panel dedicated to ensuring honesty in government into a toothless group of sycophants determined to protect a powerful congressman.
DeLay is known for his outrageously expensive golf junkets paid for by lobbyists, indicted cronies and ruthless tactics. He admitted, under oath, to trading his Republican primary support for the son of a congressman for that congressman’s vote on a prescription drug bill. He paid his wife and daughter $500,000 out of his campaign funds. He perhaps illegally abused his power by sending federal agents after Texas Democrats who fled the state to stop his congressional gerrymandering plan. He’s being investigated by a Texas grand jury, while several of his friends have already been indicted.
Meanwhile, the new rules of the U.S. House of Representatives allow him to keep his powerful leadership position even if he is indicted, something that never happened under a previous Republican Speaker, Newt Gingrich, himself castigated by the ethics committee, or under former Democratic Speaker Jim Wright, who was driven to resign by his own ethical misconduct.
All this, of course, takes place as DeLay touts his religious values and deep faith in God. DeLay led Congress to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. When even conservative judges appointed by Republicans turned him down, he shrieked vengeance against the judiciary. He has blamed the teaching of evolution for school shootings. His pastor was his chief of staff, and conducted morning prayer sessions in DeLay’s office. Somehow, he does not seem to think that the religious values he espouses extend to his own behavior.
Like corruption, hypocrisy has no place in politics. But, apparently, DeLay is bothered by neither corruption nor hypocrisy.
Hefley, however, is. He believes an ethics committee – and, more importantly, ethical behavior – are essential for the nation’s highest legislative bodies. His own actions, taking on the most powerful in his party even at significant cost to himself, exemplify those values DeLay espouses but doesn’t exhibit. Hefley hasn’t used the battle over ethics to promote himself. He has simply stood his ground behind an ethics committee and ethics rules he believes should apply to all politicians, regardless of party, religious persuasion or relative power.
Hefley hasn’t castigated his leadership for dumping him along with the rules of fair play. He has remained a Republican Party loyalist whose own ethical standards are becoming a beacon for other Republicans uneasy about the extreme abuse of power by their leadership.
DeLay loudly proclaims that he has nothing to hide. If that is true, why then is he scurrying to obliterate the House ethics committee? Why did he demand rules changes that protect him from an investigation of his activities and removal from his leadership position if he’s indicted? Why did he connive to dump Hefley from the chairmanship?
In light of this contrast in the case of the two congressmen, here’s my suggestion: Remove Tom DeLay, who has demonstrated his scorn for ethics, as Republican majority leader and replace him with Joel Hefley, who understands the importance of real values to the democratic process. That would show America that ethics trumps corruption.
Gail Schoettler (gailschoettler@ email.msn.com) is a former U.S. ambassador, Colorado lieutenant governor and treasurer, Democratic nominee for governor and Douglas County school board member.
