Conservatives honor DeLay with gala as ethics questions linger

12 May 2005 // Portraying ethics questions faced by Tom DeLay as a liberal plot, the majority leader's conservative supporters are staging a high-profile show of support by throwing a gala in his honor.

About 900 people had tickets to Thursday night's $250-per-plate dinner at the Capital Hilton, organized by about a dozen conservative groups. The money will be used to pay for the event, organizers said.

"The majority leader is very encouraged and appreciative of all the support he's received from across the country, especially from leaders of the conservative movement," DeLay spokesman Dan Allen said.

Richard Lessner, executive director of the American Conservative Union, said he and other event participants believe the questions raised about DeLay amount to nothing more than "a political campaign by his enemies."

"The dinner's a sellout and it's already accomplished what it needs to accomplish: that we publicly embrace Tom DeLay and stand with him against these baseless allegations," Lessner said.

About three-dozen congressional Republicans planned to attend, including House Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri. President Bush and Vice President Cheney were not invited, but Republican National Committee officials including Chairman Ken Mehlman were expected at the dinner, Lessner said.

The ethics questions DeLay faces from Democrats and other critics stem in part from foreign travel arranged by Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist accused of defrauding tribal clients of millions of dollars.

DeLay has asked the House ethics committee to review his travel records. He has portrayed the ethics questions raised about him as a Democrat-organized smear campaign.

A poll released last month by the Houston Chronicle found support for DeLay has dropped dramatically in his district.

Abramoff is under investigation by a federal grand jury and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Americans for Tax Reform, a group run by gala organizer and DeLay and Abramoff political associate Grover Norquist, has been subpoenaed by the Senate committee.