Washington, DC — If not apparent by now, it’s abundantly clear the Washington Post is gunning for Tom DeLay. A series of page one investigative pieces by Mike Allen, Jim Grimaldi and other Posties have uncovered some interesting financial disclosure tidbits that, quite frankly, merit the coverage — although perhaps not continuously meriting front page placement.
Today’s damaging front page Mike Allen piece, "DeLay Ethics Allegations Now Cause of GOP Concern," and a follow-up Post editorial, should concern the DeLay camp. There’s now a sense of blood in the water inside the Beltway, and this will merely stimulate continued follow-on reporting from the New York Times, which is becoming more interested in this story. Particularly worrisome are background quotes from a GOP "ally" starting to say there may be some big time problems.
The story is all the more juicy due to the fact former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former DeLay aides are part of the investigatory picture relating to foreign trips and junkets financed by others. Former key DeLay aides Ed Buckham and Susan Hirschmann appear to be unfairly dragged into the story.
It’s been a while since the Jim Wright and Newt Gingrich feeding frenzy, and while this DeLay story is still far from analogous, it has all the potential to get there — fair or not.
Photo Credit: Washington Post