Boustany Impugns His Own Integrity!

Congressman Charles Boustany's desperate attempt to separate his campaign from the corruption that permeates the Republican Majority in the House crashed into a point made by none other than Ronald Reagan, The Great Communicator himself, at the 1988 Republican Convention in New Orleans.

In his gambit to sever his ties from corrupt Republicans and their associates, The Daily Advertiser reported the following:

"These contributions were lawfully made, properly donated and reported, and have in no way influenced my decision making," Boustany, R-Lafayette, said in a press release. "My decisions have been and will continue to be made in the best interest of the 7th Congressional District. However, some are attempting to use the issue of these funds to question my integrity."

In fact, on the day he was sworn in as a member of Congress, Boustany cast a vote that had the effect of shutting down the House Ethics Committee. The change in the rules Boustany supported, would have required that a member of, say, the Republican Party break party ranks in order for an ethics complaint against, say, Tom DeLay to be pursued.

So, one of Boustany's first votes on his first day as a congressman was a vote to shield DeLay from further Ethics probes — after DeLay's ARMPAC had given Boustany's campaign significant and early contributions (and, no doubt, helped Boustany by encouraging other Republicans like Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, Roy Blunt, Jerry Lewis and others to follow suit) that gave his campaign credibility within the party. That loyalty was rewarded with still more money during the current (2006) election cycle.

But, the now-defensive Congressman asks his constituents to believe that there was no connection between DeLay's largesse and the first-day-Congressman's vote to shield his embattled contributor and Majority Leader from further ethics probes.

Was that vote "made in the best interest of the 7th Congressional District," Congressman?

Is the Congressman trying to tell us, then, that there was no connection between that vote and the money DeLay raised for his campaign?

Boustany's vote for the change in the ethics rules protected his leader and his patron. Clearly, DeLay's contributions to Boustany's campaign affected that vote.

In 1988, Ronald Reagan addressed the Republican National Convention and declared that "facts are stubborn things."

Congressman Boustany, Tom DeLay's contributions to your campaign clearly influenced your vote on changing the Ethics Rules.

Your 7th District constituents' stake in that issue was the expectation that the Congress would operate under the rule of law, without special treatment or protection for any member. Your vote betrayed that expectation.

And you voted that way because Tom DeLay's PAC gave you money!

Facts are stubborn things.