DeLay Put on Commitee to Investigate Abramoff

February 9, 2006

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Wed, 8 Feb 2006 22:59:35 -0800 (PST)

DeLay Placed On Subcommittee Overseeing Justice Dept Handling Abramoff

Investigation…

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DeLay Lands Coveted Appropriations Spot

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press WriterWed Feb 8, 5:39 PM ET

Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican

in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded

him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.

DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the

Justice Department, which is currently investigating an

influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff

and his dealings with lawmakers. The subcommittee also has

responsibility over NASA — a top priority for DeLay, since the Johnson

Space Center is located in his Houston-area district.

" Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out

money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA —

Republicans in Congress just can't seem to resist standing by their

man, " said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional

Campaign Committee.

GOP leaders also named California Rep. Howard " Buck " McKeon as

chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee. Majority Leader

John Boehner, R-Ohio, vacated that post after winning a campaign to

replace DeLay.

McKeon is a seven-term conservative who has a generally good

relationship with educators. He authored a 2001 law to remove

disincentives for workers who would have lost part of their Social

Security benefits when switching jobs to become public school teachers.

DeLay was able to rejoin the powerful Appropriations panel — he was a

member until becoming majority leader in 2003 — because of a vacancy

created after the resignation of Randy " Duke " Cunningham, R-Calif.

Cunningham pleaded guilty in November to charges relating to accepting

$2.4 million in bribes for government business and other favors.

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