05.10.06
Carter and Gohmert Want Mollohan Off Appropriations
Of the 231 Republican representatives in the House, two from Texas are reportedly planning to make ethics in the Democratic delegation a priority:
Republican Reps. John Carter (R-Texas) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) are expected to send House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a letter tomorrow asking her to remove Rep. Alan Mollohan (W.Va.) from the Appropriations Committee.
Mollohan has become famous as the token corrupt Democrat in Congress. He has already “stepped aside” from his post on the House Ethics committee. If the charges against him are true, he should quit Congress and do hard time alongside convicted former Republican representative Duke Cunningham. Many in the House may be heading to the Big House:
“I look forward to reading their letter to Speaker [Dennis] Hastert [R-Ill.] on Congressman [Tom] DeLay [R-Texas], Congressman [Bob] Ney [R-Ohio], Congressman [John] Doolittle [R-Calif.] and Congressman [Richard] Pombo [R-Calif.],” Pelosi spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said. “I must have missed their letter on incarcerated Congressman [Randy “Duke”] Cunningham [R-Calif.].”
The timing of this letter is puzzling. Why is it going out today? And why are two relative newcomers to the House sending it?
Appropriations is the most powerful committee in Washington. The Constitution mandates “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” All such law originates in the 66-member House Appropriations committee.
John Carter’s close association with Tom DeLay (R-Texas) may have helped him secure the coveted assignment shortly after he was first elected in 2002. Freshman representative Gohmert may have his eye on DeLay’s soon-to-be-vacated seat on the committee. Perhaps this is an attempt to curry favor with Republican leadership in hopes of landing on Appropriations this summer.
Carter is no stickler for ethical behavior among fellow Appropriations committee members. Take Tom DeLay, for example. Maybe he was confused when voted for the DeLay rule and opposed its reversal. Perhaps he did not foresee DeLay’s impending demise as Majority Leader.
After DeLay’s indictment, Carter continued to support DeLay and compared him “to a World War I lieutenant who led his men out of a trench into battle.”
Apparently, Carter feels that when a Republican is indicted for money laundering, we still must support and give him the benefit of the doubt. For a Democratic target in an FBI investigation, there is no need to wait for the grand jury before demanding blood.
To his credit, Carter, a former judge, appears to be abiding to the letter of the law. Although he’s a Big Oil mouthpiece, he has the courtesy to abide by federal disclosure rules and identify his multimillion dollar stake in ExxonMobil. After all it is no crime to prioritize one’s own financial interest while a member of Congress above the interests of one’s constituents.
Eye on Williamson » What Is John Carter Doing? said,
May 11, 2006 at 3:43 pm
[…] This should leave no doubt about who’s for the working people in this congressional race, Mary Beth Harrell. But now that Tom DeLay has resigned out congressman has gone and got himself a new cause, ethics. I know, what you’re saying, “What does John Carter know about ethics?” Isn’t he the one who stood behind, beside and around Tom DeLay the whole time he was being forced out of Congress because of this ethics problems? Why does he care about ethics now? Well he’s probably worried about the things listed above and being called on it. He’s not used to that. Nor are most Republicans in these parts. […]