When the Justice Department devotes almost 20 agents to a case, you know something is up. And this morning, the noose seemed to be tightening around the neck of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay: His former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in District Court, admitting that, while working in Congress, he received money and items of value from superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. So here's the big question: What did Tom DeLay know about all of this?
Now that Abramoff, his former partner Mike Scanlon, and Rudy have all copped pleas, it can't be long until we hear from the feds about DeLay. As you may know, DeLay left his majority leader's job—and announced he would not run for it again—in the wake of Abramoff's plea deal. DeLay was initially forced to leave the leadership post because he is under indictment for violation of Texas election laws.
The stakes here go beyond DeLay. They are also huge for the House Republican Party. With the Dems pushing a "culture of corruption" theme for the 2006 elections, this plays right into their hands. The question now: Will the feds get to DeLay—and when?
Gloria Borger, a contributing editor at U.S.News & World Report, writes the magazine's On Politics column. Borger is also the national political correspondent for CBS and a regular panelist on the PBS public affairs program, Washington Week in Review. Borger is a 1974 graduate of Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., and is now a member of the university's board of trustees.
