Washington – The Colorado lawmaker who lost his position as chairman of the U.S. House ethics committee after it admonished Tom DeLay last year said Wednesday that he sympathized with the former majority leader after his indictment.
“Tom DeLay and I have never been close, but I wouldn’t wish him any ill will,” said Rep. Joel Hefley, a Colorado Springs Republican. “I don’t take any pride in his ill fortune here at all.”
When the ethics committee admonished DeLay three times, it was for issues unrelated to the Texas case.
Hefley said he was concerned that the indictment could damage the Republican Party. Although Hefley said he saw bad actors in both parties while heading the ethics committee, the Democrats are now using the DeLay indictment to castigate all Republicans, he said.
Hefley and other Coloradans in Congress reacted to Wednesday’s indictment of DeLay largely along party lines. Republicans blamed the indictment on partisan politics while Democrats described DeLay’s behavior with caustic criticism.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Littleton Republican who in April suggested DeLay should step down as House majority leader to fight the allegations against him, said his concerns have been borne out.
“Now he’s had to resign, he’s been forced down,” Tancredo said. “If he’d done this before, he could have taken on this guy (the district attorney) seeking to prosecute DeLay.”
Tancredo said he thought the charges were political and that the case was a witch hunt that would never get to a jury.
Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez, a hopeful in the 2006 Colorado governor’s race, and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a Fort Morgan Republican, said DeLay should be treated as innocent until proven guilty.
“These charges are clearly motivated by internal Texas political rivalries,” said Beauprez, of Arvada.
Musgrave said that “the partisan Democrat district attorney that is charging Mr. DeLay was, a few months ago, bragging about his ongoing investigation before Democrat Party activists.”
Rep. Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, joined other Democrats in criticizing DeLay.
“Throughout his career, Tom Delay has been a controversial, divisive and ethically challenged figure,” Udall said. “He has brought disrepute on the House of Representatives, and his leadership hasn’t been good for the institution.”
Fellow Democrat Diana DeGette of Denver said that “the charges against Rep. DeLay are very serious and should be fully investigated. The American people should be concerned about the ethical lapses by the Republicans running this government and their leadership.”
Freshman Rep. John Salazar, a Manassa Democrat, said Congress members are “servants of the people and should be held to the same standards as those we represent. This is evidence that our system of checks and balances is working in the best interests of the people. No one is above the law.”
