
For over eight months we have been trying to hold
accountable House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX)
for his serious ethics problems stemming from allegations
of extortion, money laundering, and other abuses of
power. Last week DeLay's
ethical problems reached a new high when multiple
stories surfaced concerning his alleged violations
of House rules that bar acceptance of travel expenses
from registered lobbyists and foreign agents. We
are writing today to appeal for your support so that
we can escalate our campaign to restore the rules
that gutted the House ethics process and hold Tom
DeLay and other Members accountable.
Specifically, we need to raise $60,000 in next three
weeks to fund a national communications strategy that
will include placing a full-page ad in Roll Call (an
influential Capitol Hill newspaper), buying ads and
billboards in the districts of influential lawmakers,
conducting editorial board meetings with journalists
in key districts and organizing up to 30 town hall
meetings nationwide to generate awareness that the
House ethics process has essentially shut down to
protect DeLay and others. The situation in Washington
is at a tipping point and your support at this critical
moment can make a big difference.
www.commoncause.org/KeeptheHeatonDeLay
Make no mistake about it, as the scandals and allegations
have piled up over the last few months, our efforts
to prevent powerful leaders like Tom DeLay from acting
with impunity have made a difference. DeLay's unethical
behavior has become increasingly
vulnerable to criticism, even by Members of his own
party. And you have played a huge part in keeping
House ethics problems front and center:
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In January when the Republican leadership tried
to force changes to House ethics rules that would
personally benefit Tom DeLay, your
activism forced them to retreat from passing
a rule that would have allowed DeLay to keep his
job even if he is indicted in Texas for fundraising
irregularities.
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Your dogged activism has enabled us to generate enormous
pressure on the Republican leadership to hold their
embattled colleagues accountable for their alleged
transgressions and gross abuses of power.
But continuing this kind of pressure is not easy.
Tom DeLay still insists he did nothing wrong and has
refused to resign as the majority leader. This is
why we
need your help so that we can sustain
our all-out campaign for accountability against
one of the most powerful leaders, whose Republican
Party controls all three branches of our government.
Please help us raise $60,000 so that we can fund our
national grassroots/media campaign to restore ethics
and accountability in DeLay's Congress. Your support
is crucial to the success of our campaign:
www.commoncause.org/KeeptheHeatonDeLay
Thank you again for all of your activism and staying
with us in this fight. Your actions and support do
make a difference.
Sincerely,
Chellie Pingree
President & CEO, Common Cause
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