But we cannot let that happen.
This is a critical moment to let our elected officials know that
citizens will not stand for Rep. DeLay repeatedly violating ethics
rules in the House. No one is above the rules, even an elected official
known within his party as “The Hammer.”



Please join us in asking Tom DeLay to step down by signing our petition here:



http://www.commoncause.org/stepdownDeLay



Common
Cause is disappointed with the Ethics Committee's decision not to
appoint an outside counsel to investigate, as it did in the cases of
former House Speakers Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and James Wright (D-TX). And
we believe Rep. DeLay's improprieties required more than a slap on the
wrist by the Committee.



However,
we commend the Ethics Committee for focusing on the pattern of Rep.
DeLay's ethical violations, as expressed in an extraordinary, sharply worded letter to the majority leader warning him that such future actions would not be tolerated.



IN REGARD to charges
that Rep. DeLay promised special treatment to energy interests in
exchange for campaign contributions at a fundraiser at the Homestead
resort in Virginia in June of 2002, the Ethics Committee concluded in
the letter to DeLay:



Member
may not make any solicitation that may create even an appearance that,
because of a contribution, a contributor will receive or is entitled to
either special treatment or special access to the Member in his or her
official capacity….your participation in and facilitation of the energy
company golf fundraiser at the Homestead Resort on June 2-3, 2002 is
objectionable in that those actions, at a minimum, created such an
improper appearance.


IN REGARD to charges that
Representative DeLay utilized the resources of the Federal Aviation
Administration for partisan purposes when he asked them to use their
resources to track down a plane carrying Democratic Members of the
Texas legislature who were fleeing to prevent a quorum to vote on a
Republican-friendly remap of congressional districts, the Ethics
Committee concluded:



…such
use of federal executive branch resources to resolve an issue before a
state legislative body raises serious concerns under the fundamental
concepts of separation of powers and federalism.



We cannot tolerate this kind of blatant and repeated disregard for Congressional ethics rules. We need your help today. It is time for Representative Delay to step down.

DeLay's four reprimands are for:



1.  Enlisting the Federal Aviation Administration to monitor aircraft carrying Democratic political opponents.



2. 
Attending a political fundraiser with energy company officials at the
same time that energy legislation was being negotiated.



3. 
Strong-arming a Republican member of Congress to side with big drug
companies and HMOs on the recent Medicare bill. (The Republican
colleague originally accused DeLay of outright bribery.)



4.  Threatening a Washington lobbying firm because it hired a Democrat as its chief.



Right now the Republican Party is rallying around DeLay.

Let's send them a clear message: repeated ethics violations are simply unacceptable. It's time to get rid of DeLay.