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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bald Eagle who wrote (535913)	2/5/2004 2:36:31 PM
From: Howard C.	Respond to of 769670

Finally they are going to investigate how Republicans offered bribes to pass the prescription drug bill. And now, the head of the committe, Billy Tauzin, who made sure the drug companies made out big time in that bill, is quitting, and may accept a job as a top lobbyist for...guess who...those drug companies! WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Democrats welcomed on Thursday an announcement by the chamber's ethics committee that it was probing whether bribes were offered last year to win passage of the Medicare prescription drug bill, a major priority of President Bush. The "informal fact-finding" inquiry was announced on Wednesday night in a brief statement by ethics committee chairman Rep. Joel Hefley, a Colorado Republican, and ranking Democrat Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia. Democrats had called for the probe after Nick Smith, a Michigan Republican, said that "bribes and special deals" were offered to convince members to vote yes on the prescription drug bill in November -- including financial support for his son's congressional campaign. Smith later backed off the bribery claim. "This is an appropriate response," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California told reporters. "I'm satisfied with what the committee has put forth." The ethics committee said it had started the probe in December, and gave no explanation for why it had not announced it earlier, or why it was announcing it now. "On December 8, 2003, we initiated informal fact-finding concerning the statements made by Representative Nick Smith on communications that he received linking his support for the Medicare Prescription Drug Act with support for the congressional candidacy of his son," the ethics committee statement said. It said there would be no further public comment for now. CENSURED OR EXPELLED House Republicans had little to say about the announcement. "We've said all along this is the purview of the ethics committee," said John Feehery, spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois. Hefley told reporters in December that if a member was found to have offered a bribe, he or she could be censured or even expelled from Congress. Smith voted no on the prescription drug bill, which narrowly passed in November after Republican leaders held the vote open for nearly three hours until they convinced enough members who initially voted against to change their minds. Shortly after the vote, Smith said that in the arm-twisting that went on, there had been offers of "extensive financial campaign support and endorsements" made for his son, Brad Smith, who is running to replace him in Congress. Smith is retiring this year.