DeLay Peddles Interests of Foreign Countries in Congress for Free Vacations?
The story broke in London, the title of the TimesOnline version was so very British. "Lady Tatcher Embroiled in US Corruption Case" Documents have been found which reveal that DeLay apparently met met with Lady Thatcher in 2000 to discuss getting free European holidays in return for influencing legislation in the US.

"Officials have asked the Metropolitan Police to question the former Tory Prime Minister over a meeting she held with leading Republican Tom DeLay in the UK in 2000.
The request, revealed in a leaked Home Office document, forms part of a probe into allegations that congressmen received free foreign holidays from lobby groups in return for influencing legislation.
A spokesman for Lady Thatcher today confirmed that police had contacted her office in order to "clarify" details of a meeting with Mr DeLay in Britain in May 2000."

Unlike favors given to politicians of all persuasions to influence legislation on Israel, influencing legislation that favors England actually interests the US Justice Department enough to follow up.

The US Justice Department is seeking to question Baroness Thatcher as part of a high-level inquiry into allegations of a "flights-for-favours" corruption scandal at Congress.

AIPAC, which contributes large sums of money to politicians of all persuasions to favor legislation on Israel, and has a slight problem of having now FORMER executives accused of passing classified information to Israel, which, as far as I know, is STILL a foreign country, even has an entire kit for college students on its "AIPAC on Campus" website, influencing students, teachers, and, of course, politicians, with suggestions like "Making an Impact on the Legislative Process"and "Legislative Missions to Washington DC".

However, Lady Maggie did not do any of the above, but did make a deal with DeLay - it is alleged - to get him "free foreign holidays from lobby groups". Not very clever of Tom not to have created an organization called AEPAC (America England Public Affairs Committee), and called his vacations "research and study" tours, or speaking to foreign parliaments while 'touring the nation' tours last paragraph (during which trip, if you recall, he smoked a fine Cuban cigar):

On a 2003 trip to Israel, DeLay toured the nation and addressed members of the Knesset. His opposition to land concessions is so strong that the far-right National Union Party deputy Aryeh Eldad revealed "As I shook his hand, I told Tom DeLay that I thought I was the farthest to the right in the Knesset." Former Mossad chief Danny Yatom said "The Likud is nothing compared to this guy." ( The Hammer , 236)

So now DeLay is even in deeper shit than he was already in.

By the way, one of the first people to "stand by" old Tom DeLay was his good friend Danny Ayalon, the Israeli Embassador in Washington.
In fact, the first thing DeLay did after he was indicted was attend a "Stand up for Israel" dinner with all his supporters.

"WASHINGTON – The first public appearance of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) after being indicted and forced to leave his leadership position was at Wednesday night's dinner hosted by "Stand for Israel," a group of Israel-supporting evangelical Christians and Jews led by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein."

The Center for Public Integrity has released copies of the paper trail that led to DeLay's arrest - to see all the documents, please click the link with Common Dreams... on your right.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005
Center for Public Integrity
Katie King
Phone: 202-481-1234
The Paper Trail Behind Tom DeLay's Indictment :

WASHINGTON - September 29 - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted by a Texas grand jury Wednesday on a charge of conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws. Following the indictment, DeLay announced that he would temporarily step down from his post as House Majority Leader.

The indictment alleges that $190,000 was illegally funneled from six corporations through DeLay's nonfederal group and then transferred to the Republican National State Elections Committee.

All of these transactions took place through DeLay's 527 group called Texans for a Republican Majority. These 527s are nonfederal fundraising accounts formerly used in elections by candidates and parties. Their use by parties and candidates for federal office was banned, effective after the 2002 election.

The $190,000 transfer to the Republican National State Elections Committee in September 2002 was reported to the IRS by the 527 group. Links to these donations as referred to by the Texas grand jury appear below:

Diversified Collection Services, Inc. ($50,000);
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ($25,000);
Williams Companies, Inc. ($25,000);
Cornell Companies, Inc. ($10,000);
Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. ($20,000); and
Questerra Corporation ($25,000).
All 527s connected to DeLay are listed below, with their total expenditures reported since August 2000:

Americans for a Republican Majority Non-Federal Account ($2,371,899)
Texans for a Republican Majority ($1,549,986)
Republican Majority Issues Committee ($1,242,788)
Republican Majority Issues Committee - New Jersey ($121,536)
In August a Center study of all legal expense funds found that Tom DeLay had accepted the most donations to his fund from registered lobbyists of any member of Congress. Each donation is a violation of congressional rules. Following the Center's story, organizers for the committee said that they would return all such donations.

All of DeLay's Legal Expense Funds, which the Center obtained from the House Clerk's office, are listed below:

DeLay 3rd quarter 2000 DeLay 1st quarter 2002 DeLay 1st quarter 2004
DeLay 4th quarter 2000 DeLay 2nd quarter 2002 DeLay 2nd quarter 2004
DeLay 1st quarter 2001 DeLay 3rd quarter 2002 DeLay 3rd quarter 2004
DeLay 2nd quarter 2001 DeLay 4th quarter 2002 DeLay 4th quarter 2004
DeLay 3rd quarter 2001 DeLay 1st quarter 2003 DeLay 1st quarter 2005
DeLay 4th quarter 2001 DeLay 2nd quarter 2003 DeLay 2nd quarter 2005
DeLay 3rd quarter 2003
DeLay 4th quarter 2003