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{{congresspedia}}{{Show badges|AEX}}[[Image:tomdelay.jpg|thumb|Tom DeLay represented the 22nd Congressional district of Texas from 1984 1985 to 2006]][[Image:Delay-mugshot.jpg|right|frame|DeLay's mug shot after his arrest on charges of felony money laundering. (He was later convicted and sentenced to prison.)]]

 '''Thomas Dale DeLay''' is , the former [[Republican Party U.S.A.|Republican]] member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] who represented Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 1985 to 2006, co-founded [[Coalition for a Conservative Majority]] (CCM) with former Ohio Secretary of State [[J. He Kenneth Blackwell]] in November 2007 as a "new grass-roots organization that he says will help [[conservative]]s better convey their message to voters and take back control of [[Congress]]."<ref>Eric Pfeiffer, [http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071116/NATION/111160093/1002 "DeLay founds coalition to polish GOP message,"] ''Washington Times'', November 16, 2007.</ref> DeLay is the former [[House Majority Leader]], serving from 2002 until his resignation from the leadership in 2005 following his indictment on conspiracy charges. On April 5, 2006, he announced that he would be stepping down from his seat in Congress on June 9, 2006. He is the founder of the [[DeLay Foundation for Kids]].

DeLay received a Bachelor of Science with a major in biology from the University of Houston in 1970. He had previously been expelled from Baylor University. Prior to entering politics, DeLay ran a pest control company, which was reportedly "at best a struggling operation". DeLay faced tax liens three times by the IRS for not paying payroll and income taxes, and paid settlements to two different associates who claimed they were cheated by him.<ref>Peter Perl.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6825-2001May9&no"'Absolute Truth',"]''Washington Post.'' May 13, 2001.</ref>

DeLay was elected to the [[Texas House of Representatives]] in 1978. There he gained a reputation as a playboy, earning the nickname "Hot Tub Tom".<ref>Peter Perl. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6825-2001May9&no"'Absolute Truth',"] ''Washington Post.'' May 13, 2001.</ref> By his own admission, he was drinking "eight, ten, twelve martinis a night at receptions and fundraisers." <ref>Peter Perl. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6825-2001May9&no"'Absolute Truth',"]''Washington Post.'' May 13, 2001.</ref>

DeLay became a [[w:born-again Christian|born-again Christian]] in 1985, After his wife Christine DeLay began volunteering as a court-appointed special advocate for children in foster care, the DeLays also became foster parents. DeLay has declined to comment on reports in ''The New Yorker'' that he is estranged from much of his family, including his mother and one of his brothers .<ref>Melinda Henneberger. [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/062199delay-profile.html"Tom DeLay Holds No Gavel, But a Firm Grip on the Reins,"]''New York Times. '' June 21, 1999.</ref> According to ''The [[The Washington Post]]'', DeLay has not spoken to his younger brother, Randy, a Houston lobbyist, since 1996, when a complaint to the [[U.S. House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct|House Ethics Committee]] prompted Tom DeLay to cut his brother off in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest .<ref>Peter Perl. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6825-2001May9&no"'Absolute Truth',"]''Washington Post.'' May 13, 2001.</ref>

DeLay was not always on good terms with either Gingrich or [[Dick Armey]], the House Majority Leader; he considered them uncommitted to "[[w:Christian values|Christian values]]", and in 1997 DeLay tried to upstage Gingrich. Nevertheless, in the heyday of the 104th Congress (1995-1997), DeLay described the Republican leadership as a triumvirate of Gingrich ("the visionary"), Armey ("the policy wonk"), and himself ("the ditch digger who makes it all happen.") <ref>Richard Dreyfuss. [http://64www.233thenation.187com/doc/20010122/dreyfuss "Bush's Hammer,"] ''The Nation.104'' January 4, 2001.</search?qref> ===Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council=cache==DeLay is an alumnus of the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC), being a member when he was in the Texas House of Representatives from 1979 to 1983. During the time he was U.S. House Majority Leader, ALEC began a new alumni forum for former members who serve in public office, called the "ALEC Alumni Forum." It was launched in 2001 and is "charged with developing a national forum to encourage improved communications among current and former ALEC members. Alumni Forum activities will include special investigations and speaking engagements at major ALEC events, and joint policy members with state and national leaders. . . . Through the Alumni Forum program, ALEC will seek the support of its former members in the development of reforms that reflect the principles of the organization at all levels of government."<ref>American Legislative Exchange Council, [http:Q_wdXo_wrqMJ//web.archive.org/web/20021029023442/http://www.texasmonthlyalec.comorg/archivemeSWFiles/tex20pdf/delay2001_Annual_Report.php%3Fclick_code%3Dba8cce8970cee30fe16a73e2bb499d47+&hl=en&client=firefox-apdf 2001 Annual Report], organizational report, 2002</ref> {{about_ALEC}}

After being indicted on September 28, 2005, DeLay stepped down from his position as House majority leader. DeLay was the first House leader in over 100 years to be indicted. Rep. [[Roy Blunt]] of Missouri took over as acting leader.<ref>Shailagh Murray and Jim VandeHei. [http://newswww.yahoowashingtonpost.com/news?tmpl=story&u=wp-dyn/content/article/ibd2005/2005092809/bs_ibd_ibd28/2005928featureAR2005092802550.html "Attempt to Pick Successor Is Foiled,"] took over as acting leader''Washington Post.'' September 29, 2005. </ref> On January 7, 2006, after weeks of growing pressure by Republican colleagues, most notably Rep. [[Charlie Bass]] (NHR- N.H.) and [[Jeff Flake]] (AZR- Ariz.), who were fearful of being associated with his legal issues in an election year, DeLay announced that he would not seek to regain his position as Majority Leader.

In 2003, DeLay maintained public neutrality on Houston's [[w:METRORail|METRORail]] light rail initiative. Public filings later exposed that Tom DeLay secretly had his PACs funnel money into [[Texans for True Mobility]], a group advocating the rejection of the proposal. Despite his efforts the proposal passed by a slim margin. <ref>[http://www.chronoffthekuff.com/dispmt/story.mplarchives/metropolitan/2464882003192.html"Delay Supported TTM,"]''Off the Kuff.'' March 24, 2004.</ref>

In 2001, DeLay defied [[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]] when he refused to increase the [[w:Earned Income Credit|Earned Income Credit]] welfare entitlement during the congressional battle over Bush's tax cuts to people making between $10,500 and $26,625 a year; when reporters asked DeLay about what he would do about increasing the EIC, DeLay simply stated it "ain't going to happen." When Bush's press secretary [[Ari Fleischer]] reiterated the president's desire for a low-income tax cut, DeLay retorted "the last time I checked they [the executive branch] don't have a vote." <ref>David Firestone and Richard W. Stevenson. [http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/11/politics/11BUSH.html?ex=1114142400&en=83615c7410ce8b25&ei=5070&pagewanted=all&position="G.O.P. Leader Brushes Off Pressure by Bush on Taxes,"]''New York Times.'' June 11, 2003.</ref>

On economic policy, DeLay is rated a 95 out of 100 by [[Americans for Tax Reform]], the lobbying group founded by [[Grover Norquist]], and 95 to 100 by the [[United States Chamber of Commerce]], a business lobby. On environmental policy, he earned ratings of 0 from the [[Sierra Club]] and [[League of Conservation Voters]]. He has been a fervent critic of the [[Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]], which he has called the "[[w:Gestapo|Gestapo]] of government." <ref>Bruce Burkhard. [http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9512/congress_enviro/"Year in Review: Congress vs. Environment,"]''CNN'' December 29, 1995. </ref> DeLay has also sided with business owners over [[labor union]]s and is for gun rights in the [[gun politics]] debate. The [[ACLU]] has measured that his voting history aligns with their civil liberties platform 2% of the time .<ref>[http://action.aclu.org/site/VoteCenter?congress=0&repId=576&page=combLegScore&lcmd=bottom&lcmd_cf=voteList "ACLU Congressional Scorecard,"]''ACLU.''</ref>

DeLay blames Senate [[United States Democratic Party|Democrats]] and what he dubbed "BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) [[environmentalism|environmentalists]]" for blocking legislative solutions to problems such as the 2003 North America blackout .<ref>Cynthia Cotts. [http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030818-122326-3716r.htm"It's Deregulation, Stupid,"]''The Village Voice.'' August 20 - 26, 2003</ref>

In 2005, DeLay, acting against the president's wishes, initiated the "safe harbor" provision for [[MTBE]] in the [[Energy Policy Act of 2005]], together with Rep. [[Joe Barton]] [http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/21/energy.bill.mtbe.ap/] [http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:Caya6UkgOrkJ:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7574562/+MTBE&hl=en]. This provision would have retroactively protected the makers of the gasoline additive from lawsuits. The provision was dropped from the final bill.<ref>[http://www.platts.com/Oil/Resources/News%20Features/energybill/index.xml "Energy policy focus now shifts to bureaucracy,"] ''Electric Power Daily.'' August 8, 2005.</ref>

DeLay has been a strong supporter of the State of [[Israel]], saying, "The Republican leadership, especially that leadership in the House, has made pro-Israel policy a fundamental component of our [[w:foreign relations of the United States|foreign policy]] agenda and it drives the Democrat [sic] leadership crazy &mdash; because they just can't figure out why we do it!" <ref>Tom Curry. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5822374/"DeLay makes intense appeal for Jewish voters,"] ''MSNBC.'' September 1, 2004.</ref> On a 2003 trip to Israel, DeLay toured the nation and addressed members of the [[w:Knesset|Knesset]]. His opposition to land concessions is so strong that Israel's conservative [[w:National Union Party|National Union Party]] deputy [[w:Aryeh Eldad|Aryeh Eldad]] remarked, "as I shook his hand, I told Tom DeLay that until I heard him speak, I thought I was farthest to the right in the Knesset."<ref>Megan K. Stack. [http://archives.lists.indymedia.org/imc-houston/2003-July/007223.html "DeLay proclamations comfort Israeli hawks,"]''LA Times.'' (via ''Indymedia'') July 31, 2003.</ref> Former [[w:Mossad|Mossad]] chief [[w:Danny Yatom|Danny Yatom]] said "The [[w:Likud|Likud]] is nothing compared to this guy." (''The Hammer'', 236) =====Iraq War=====DeLay voted for the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002]] that started the Iraq War.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll455.xml Roll call vote], Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.</ref> {{Iraq War House record}} ====CAFTA====Delay introduced the [[U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement]] ('''CAFTA'''), to the House on June 23, 2005. The bill, modeled after [[NAFTA]], aimed to create a free trade zone between the United States, [[Costa Rica]], [[El Salvador]], [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]] and [[Nicaragua]], as well as set up a separate trade agreement with the [[Dominican Republic]]. It was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on August 2, 2005.

On a 2003 trip to Israel, DeLay toured the nation and addressed members of the [[w:Knesset{{main|Knesset]]U. His opposition to land concessions is so strong that Israel's conservative [[w:National Union Party|National Union Party]] deputy [[w:Aryeh Eldad|Aryeh Eldad]] remarked, "as I shook his hand, I told Tom DeLay that until I heard him speak, I thought I was farthest to the right in the Knesset." [http://archives.listsS.indymedia.org/imc-houston/2003-July/007223.html] Former [[w:Mossad|Mossad]] chief [[w:Danny Yatom|Danny Yatom]] said "The [[w:Likud|Likud]] is nothing compared to this guy." (''The Hammer'', 236)Central America Free Trade Agreement}}<br>

In 2006, DeLay announced that he would not seek reelection. [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] nominated [[Shelley Sekula-Gibbs]] and [[Republican Party|Republicans]] nominated [[Nick Lampson]] to contest the November 2006 election for his House seat. (See [[U.S. congressional elections in 2006]]) <ref>[http://opensecrets.org/states/election.asp?State=AL&yearstate=FL "2006Congressional Races in Florida,"]''Center for Responsive Politics.''</ref>

In 1988, when questions were raised about Republican vice-presidential nominee [[Dan Quayle]]'s alleged use of family connections to get into the Indiana National Guard and thus to avoid possible combat service in the Vietnam War, DeLay [http://slate.msn.com/id/1002713/ reportedly defended] Quayle by saying that he had tried to enlist himself at the same age, but was told ethnic minorities had already filled most of the available positions.<ref>[http://dailydelay.blogspot.com/2005/02/military-service-rhetoric-vs-reality.html "Military service: Rhetoric vs. Reality,"] ''Daily Delay.'' February 2, 2005.</ref>

DeLay had been asked to withdraw from Baylor for a semester but kept his student deferment during that time, which has never been explained.<ref>Timothy Noah. [http://www.slate.com/id/1002713/"What Did You Do in the War, Hammer?"]''Slate.'' May 4, 1999.</ref>

In early 1999, as the House vote on [[Impeaching the president|impeaching]] president [[Bill Clinton]] approached (a vote DeLay had worked very hard to ensure would succeed), Anne-Louise Bardach at ''[[The New Republic]]'' picked up a story first reported by Houston-area [[alternative weeklies]] alleging that DeLay himself had committed perjury during a civil lawsuit brought against him by a former business partner in 1994. [http://www.tnr.com/archive/0299/021599/bardach021599.html] [http://www<ref>Anne-Louise Bardach.texasobserver"Delayed Justice," The New Republic, 15 February 1999, pp.org11-12+</showArticle.asp?ArticleID=964] ref>

DeLay made headlines for his role in the [[Terri Schiavo]] controversy. On Palm Sunday weekend in March 2005, several days after the brain-damaged Florida woman's feeding tube was disconnected for the third time, DeLay and other House Republicans met in emergency session to pass a bill allowing Schiavo's parents to petition the removal of the feeding tube to a federal judge. DeLay called the removal of the feeding tube "an act of barbarism." DeLay faced accusations of hypocrisy from critics when the ''Los Angeles Times'' revealed that he had consented to ending the life support for his own father, who was in a comatose state because of a debilitating accident in 1988 .<ref>Walter F. Roche Jr., Sam Howe Verhovek. [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/03/27/MNGTRBVFV01.DTL"In '88, accident forced DeLays to choose between life, death,"]''LA Times'' (via ''San Fransisco Chronicle''). March 27, 2005.</ref>

DeLay was accused of stirring up controversy in the wake of a series of high-profile violent crimes and death threats against judges when he said that "the men responsible [for Terri Schiavo's death] will have to answer to their behavior." DeLay's comments came soon after the February 28, 2005 homicide of the mother and husband of Chicago Judge [[w:Joan Lefkow|Joan Lefkow]], and the March 11, 2005 killing of Atlanta Judge [[w:Rowland Barnes|Rowland Barnes]]. DeLay's opponents accused him of rationalizing violence against judges when their decisions were unpopular with the public. [[w:Ralph Neas|Ralph Neas]], President of the liberal [[People for the American Way]], said that DeLay's comments were "irresponsible and could be seen by some as justifying inexcusable conduct against our courts." DeLay publicly apologized for the remark after being accused of threatening the [[Supreme Court]].<ref>Charles Babington. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26236-2005Apr4.html"Senator Links Violence to 'Political' Decisions,"] DeLay publicly apologized for the remark after being accused of threatening the [[Supreme Court]]''Washington Post.'' April 5, 2005.</ref>

DeLay has long been a strong critic of Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]], and a supporter of the trade embargo against [[Cuba]]. In April 2005, [[w:Time Magazine|Time Magazine]] published a photo from a July 2003 trip to Israel. In the photo, DeLay is seen smoking a Cuban cigar .<ref>Karen Tumulty. [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1054968,00.html"But Did He Inhale?"]''Time. '' April 27, 2005</ref> The consumption or purchase of Cuban cigars is illegal in the United States, but legal in Israel. At the time, smoking a Cuban cigar abroad was legal for U.S. citizens. Since September 2004, the [[Department of the Treasury]]'s enforcement of the law has been toughened to forbid consumption or purchase of Cuban cigars by U.S. citizens anywhere in the world.<ref>[http://www.treassacbee.gov/offices/enforcementcom/ofac110/sanctionsstory/ccigar2205641.pdfhtml]''Editorial: Cigar aficionado.'' June 5, 2007.</ref>

* See the main Congresspedia article on the '''[[{{Main|DeLay rule change]]'''.}}

<blockquote>The subpoena seeks information about ties between Abramoff-related groups and a Moscow energy giant that is called [[Naftasib]], a major supplier to the Russian [[Russia]]n military.

DeLay had reported that the Russia trip was paid for by a nonprofit, the [[National Center for Public Policy Research]], which has since been revealed to have been used by Abramoff to mask his use of client money to provide overseas trips to members of Congress.[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28319-2005Apr5.html] The trip occured occurred at the same time that the Russian government was lobbying Washington to continue to fund international lending organizations like the [[IMF]], which the government heavily relied upon. House and Senate Republicans were getting fed up with funding the IMF and the [[Overseas Private Investment Corporation]] and were trying to vote to cut the funding. DeLay wound up voting to continue to fund the international institutions. Naftasib was deeply tied to the Russian government counting as two of its primary clients the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior. Naftasib used two front companies, Chelsea, located in both the Bahamas and the British Island of Jersey[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28319-2005Apr5.html], and [[Voor Huisen]], located in Holland[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/02/23/abramoff_ties_to_russians_probed/?page=full], to lobby and spend money in the United States.

The ''Houston Chronicle'' reported on April 18, 2006 that DeLay's political action committee [[ARMPAC ]] donated $5,000 to the New Hampshire Republican State Committee as other Republican operatives were putting money into the state party for a phone jamming scheme:

On September 28, 2005, DeLay was indicted in Austin, Texas on criminal charges of conspiracy to violate election laws in 2002 by a Travis County, Texas grand jury. The following week, on October 3, he was indicted yet again on a [[money laundering ]] charge. The allegations stemmed from the involvement of DeLay's PAC, [[TRMPAC]], in funneling corporate contributions to state campaigns during the 2002 election cycle. The Republican victories that year in the [[Texas Legislature]] led to the controversial [[2003 Texas congressional redistricting]].

DeLay publicly denied the charges, saying that they were motivated by the partisan actions of Democratic Travis County District Attorney [[Ronnie Earle]].[http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/09/29trmpac.html] After DeLay moved to dismiss all charges, trial judge [[Pat Priest]] dismissed one count of the indictment, alleging conspiracy to violate election law; however, Judge Priest denied DeLay's motion to dismiss the charges alleging money laundering and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and the prosecution is proceeding on those charges. (Full account of the [[Texas redistricting scandal]]).

These appeals were heard on July 31 by the Fifth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals of New Orleans. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20060729/pl_cq_politics/tx22delayballotissueheadsintoappealscourt] On August 3, the court upheld the decision by the lower court to force DeLay to remain on the ballot. Following the ruling, the Texas GOP filed an application with U.S. Supreme Court Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] to block the appealate appellate court's ruling. On August 7, 2006, Scalia denied the request. [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001289.php] Later that week, DeLay publicly called Scalia's decision, "Not only stupid, but dangerous." He was particularly bothered by the fact that the request was denied within several hours, indicating to DeLay that Scalia had not adequately considered it. [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001312.php]

In the week that followed Scalia's decision, two potential write-in candidates emerged. First, Sugar Land mayor David G. Wallace announced his interest, followed by Houston City Council member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. [http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4451171] On August 17, Texas Republicans met to choose a candidate whom the party could universally endorse. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/washington/16delay.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=login] On that night, local Republican Party precinct chairs endorsed Sekula-Gibbs. Following his loss, Wallace initally initially announced that he planned to run for the seat regardless. On August 21, however, he officially dropped out of the race. [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001371.php] [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001388.php]

As of the July 15, 2006 filing deadline, DeLay reported spending $485,275 in legal fees to six separate firms during the previous filing period, according to Political MoneyLine. He paid $265,000 to the Washington office of McDermott, Will & Emery; $75,000 to the Richmond, Va., office of McGuire Woods LLP; $69,410 to [[Blank Rome LLP|Blank Rome]] in Washington; $40,000 to McGahn & Associates PLC of Washington; $25,000 to the Houston office of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP; and $10,865 to Andy Taylor & Associates PC, also of Houston.

*[http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=61051 Segment on Tom DeLay], ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.'' ([[Daily Show|Other ''Daily Show'' segments on members of Congress.]]) </div>

==Resources== ===[[Thomas D. DeLay: Related SourceWatch Resources|Related SourceWatch Resourcesarticles]]=== ===References===<references/>

===ArticlesExternal articles===

*====[[Thomas D. DeLay: External Links]] (This includes article links for |1996-2002).]]====*====[[Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2004|2004]]====*====[[Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2005|2005]]====*====[[Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2006|2006]]========2007====*Kelley Shannon, [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070124/ap_on_re_us/delay_indictment "Prosecutors want DeLay charge reinstated,"] ''Yahoo News'', January 24, 2007.*Matt Corley, [http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/10/delay-nazis/ "DeLay Calls Liberals Nazis, Then Claims ‘Only’ Liberals Make Nazi References,"] ''Think Progress'', May 10, 2007.

  [[Category:Congresspedia|DeLay, Tom|ALEC Exposed]]