House GOP Calls for DeLay Replacement
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay's hopes of reclaiming his position as House majority leader suffered a potentially fatal setback on Friday as a growing number of fellow Republicans called for new leadership in the midst of a congressional corruption scandal.

"It's clear that we need to elect a new majority leader to restore the trust and confidence of the American people," said Rep. Jim Ramstad (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota, as two fellow Republicans circulated a petition calling for new elections.

Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., whose own hold on power appears secure, signaled he would not stand in the way of elections that could produce changes in several leadership posts.

"This is consistent with the speaker's announcement ... that House Republicans would revisit this matter at the beginning of this year," said his spokesman, Ron Bonjean, referring to the petition drive.

DeLay gave no indication he was ready to renounce his hopes of returning to the post he held before his indictment last year on campaign finance charges in his home state of Texas.

But with Hastert planning an overseas trip beginning early next week, it appeared an announcement on new elections could come within a few days.

The developments occurred near the end of a week in which lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the central figure in a growing public corruption investigation and a man with close ties to Republicans, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and several other charges in two federal courtrooms. At the same time, an Associated Press/Ipsos poll showed that 49 percent of those surveyed said they would prefer to see Democrats in control of Congress and 36 percent said Republicans.

Apart from leadership changes, several GOP officials said leaders were hoping to announce plans next week for ethics-related legislation.

Rep. Roy Blunt (news, bio, voting record) of Missouri, who took over as majority leader temporarily when DeLay stepped aside following his indictment on state charges, is certain to run for the post if new elections are held. Rep. John Boehner (news, bio, voting record) of Ohio, a former member of the leadership, is his likeliest rival, and there may be other contenders as well.

DeLay, whose defiant, take-no-prisoners style has won him the admiration and respect of fellow Republicans, has insisted he is innocent of wrongdoing and has said he intends to reclaim his leadership post once he is cleared.

Hastert and other Republicans accepted that arrangement temporarily last year, and DeLay maneuvered to win the dismissal of charges or gain an acquittal by early February.

But Abramoff's guilty pleas appears to have changed the political environment for Republicans 11 months before the midterm elections.

"The situation is that Tom's legal situation doesn't seem to be reaching clarity," Rep. John Kline (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota said in an interview. "There are stories of more indictments or questions associated with Jack Abramoff. And I think that Tom DeLay is going to have to concentrate on that."

DeLay spokesman Kevin Madden said the congressman "appreciates that a majority of his colleagues recognizes that he remains committed to fulfilling his responsibilities as majority leader and that he'll be quickly exonerated in Texas."

"And he appreciates that a majority of his colleagues won't give in to what is essentially character assassination by insinuation," Madden said.

Republican rules permit an election to fill the vacancy, and aides to Reps. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Charles Bass of New Hampshire said the two men were circulating a petition that would allow the rank-and-file to pick new leadership quickly.

The developments with Abramoff have "brought home the fact that we need not just new leaders but a course correction," Flake said.

While Flake is a conservative in a safe congressional district, others calling for a change were more moderate Republicans who could face difficult re-election campaigns this fall.

"I do not want Tom Delay to return," said Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record) of New Mexico, who has faced tough challengers in several recent elections.

"Three of his former senior staff members have admitted or have been implicated in corrupt and illegal activities to get money for themselves by influencing legislation," she said. "Whether or not Mr. Delay was involved himself or knew this was going on, he is responsible for his office. I cannot tolerate this."

Rep. Jim Gerlach (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said through a spokesman that he, too, will sign the petition.

"He believes the conference needs bold leaders whose integrity is above reproach and who will lead us on much needed ethics reform and other reforms necessary to move the nation forward," said the spokesman, John Gentzel.

Abramoff frequently had stressed his ties to DeLay in the course of seeking business from prospective lobbying clients, and had hired a number of former DeLay aides as employees. One of them, Michael Scanlon, pleaded guilty last November as part of the same investigation that led to Abramoff's confession of guilt this week.

According to papers filed in court, Abramoff paid the wife of another DeLay aide $50,000 over several months as part of an effort to kill legislation opposed by his lobbying clients.

Under GOP rules the signatures of 50 lawmakers on a petition would be sufficient to call a special meeting. Once convened, a majority vote would be required to hold elections.

Alternatively, DeLay could decide on his own to renounce his claim on the leadership post he left last year, or Hastert could intervene more forcefully, making any petition a mere formality.

___

Associated Press writers Fred Frommer, Sam Hananel, Andrew Miga and Kimberly Hefling contributed to this report.



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January 7, 2006
Rebels in G.O.P. Call for DeLay to Be Replaced
By CARL HULSE
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 - A rebellious band of House Republicans moved Friday to bar Representative Tom DeLay of Texas from regaining his position as majority leader, demanding a vote to replace him permanently at the top of the party hierarchy.

Acting in the wake of Tuesday's guilty plea to corruption charges by the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, once a close ally of Mr. DeLay, Representatives Jeff Flake of Arizona and Charles Bass of New Hampshire began circulating a petition on Friday to collect 50 signatures needed to call a party leadership election. By midafternoon, they had commitments from about two dozen lawmakers, aides said.

"Rightly or wrongly, Mr. DeLay is seen as the public face of Washington, and it is not healthy right now," Mr. Flake said. "We need a course correction."

While the petition calls only for the election of a permanent majority leader, the rank-and-file could push for more if enough lawmakers conclude a broader shake-up is warranted. Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois appears safe in his spot, but the turmoil represented another significant challenge to his ability to hold his caucus together without the help of Mr. DeLay, his longtime partner in running the House.

At least one Republican, Representative Melissa A. Hart of Pennsylvania, said Friday that if there is to be an election it should encompass a wider evaluation of the leadership. "The current letter being circulated by Congressmen Flake and Bass does not go far enough," she said in a statement. "The Republican Conference is run by a leadership team and when the majority leader position becomes vacant, the conference needs the ability to reassess the leadership team as a whole."

One senior House leadership aide, who would not be publicly identified discussing the delicate topic of internal leadership elections, said the leadership situation was volatile, making it difficult to foresee what might occur. "It feels to me like we are going to see some changes," the aide said.

Mr. DeLay was forced to give up his leadership post in September after his indictment in Texas on campaign-related charges of money laundering. He has said repeatedly that he intends to try to resolve those charges quickly and return to his place as the No. 2 House Republican. But admissions of criminal wrongdoing by Mr. Abramoff and the continuing federal investigation of former senior aides to Mr. DeLay have intensified political anxiety among Republicans at the start of a potentially pivotal election year.

But a spokesman for Mr. DeLay, a very determined politician who has never shied from a fight, suggested that he would resist any effort to oust him permanently.

"Mr. DeLay appreciates the fact that a majority of his colleagues recognize that he remains committed to resuming and fulfilling his responsibilities as majority leader as soon as he is exonerated in Texas, which he believes will happen by the end of the month," said Kevin Madden, the DeLay spokesman.

House officials predicted that Mr. Hastert would ultimately schedule an election, which could force a vote by Republicans to remove from the leadership a man responsible for much of their past political success but someone increasingly viewed as a political liability because of a continuing swirl of ethical and legal questions.

A divisive leadership battle has the potential to roil the House just as President Bush and Congressional Republicans are unveiling their election-year agenda through Mr. Bush's State of the Union speech and other events. It could also lead to new faces in the leadership ranks as Republicans try to demonstrate they are seriously responding to the lobbying scandal, which could still ensnare other lawmakers.

Should an election occur, several lawmakers would be potential candidates for majority leader, beginning with Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 3 House Republican, who took over Mr. Delay's post. Others include Representatives John A. Boehner of Ohio, chairman of the education committee and a past member of the leadership; Mike Pence of Indiana, leader of a group of House conservatives; John Shadegg of Arizona; Jerry Lewis of California, chairman of the Appropriations Committee; and Thomas M. Reynolds of New York, head of the party's campaign arm.

Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for Mr. Hastert, stopped short of saying an election would be set but said the push by the lawmakers was "consistent with the speaker's announcement that this would only be a temporary structure and House Republicans would revisit this matter at the beginning of the year."

Mr. Flake would not identify others who have agreed to sign the call for the election and said he hoped that Mr. Hastert would agree to one without the formality of a petition. But Mr. Flake said he was confident he could get 50 signatures if necessary, a task complicated by the fact that the House is in recess and lawmakers are scattered around the nation and the world.

Many top lawmakers were expected to be traveling again next week but senior aides said they viewed an election as inevitable once the House reconvened Jan. 31. They anticipated an announcement would be made once Mr. Hastert and other senior lawmakers worked out the timing and developed what one described as a "graceful exit strategy" for Mr. DeLay.

Mr. DeLay has aggressively challenged the notion that he acted improperly in his dealings with Mr. Abramoff, saying that trips arranged by the lobbyist and donations received were all properly disclosed and reported. But Mr. Flake and others have said it appears the Abramoff cloud will be hanging over Mr. DeLay for some time and, when added to the court fight in Texas, it sends the wrong message to voters when Democrats have promised to make Mr. DeLay and corruption a central campaign theme. To counter that effort, House Republicans are also preparing a package of new lobbying rules and limits on gifts and travel.

Republicans evidently have reason to worry about their image. An Associated Press-Ipsos public opinion poll released Friday showed voters sharply favoring Democrats over Republicans in a general party matchup for Congress, 49 percent to 36 percent.

"With the majority leader, their job is not just to shape legislation and control the floor, it is to help the majority stay the majority," Mr. Flake said. "You want to be comfortable and have the opportunity for Tom DeLay to contribute money and come to the district. Right now that comfort level is not there."



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