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Updated: Jun 19th, 2005 - 20:05:13 |
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Tom Feeney is ranked as the nation's lawmaker most in the "pocket" of embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, according to a liberal watchdog group.
Feeney says he's happy to be ranked No. 1, even if it's meant as an insult.
Public Campaign Action Fund ranked Feeney tops, based on six categories. They include giving money to DeLay's legal-defense fund as he prepares for an ethics investigation; taking money from DeLay's political-action committee; supporting him in other ways; and voting with him more than 97 percent of the time.
"From the way I reckon, Tom [DeLay] is right 97.5 percent of the time, and I vote with him whenever he's right," said Feeney, an Oviedo Republican with aspirations to climb in the House GOP leadership. "Bottom line is, I'm a big Tom DeLay supporter."
David Donnelly of Public Campaign Action Fund, said Feeney and others who support DeLay are doing a disservice to their constituents by lining up behind a man who does the bidding of wealthy donors.
"Most Americans, and certainly most constituents, like to know a member is independent. [Along] with the ethical cloud hanging over the majority leader, he's also the biggest abuser of the pay-to-play system in Congress."
DeLay has come under fire for some of his travel that was paid for by special interests and for his connections to a lobbyist under federal investigation.
The new rankings of those closest to DeLay are posted on indelayspocket.com by the group that is affiliated with Public Campaign, a nonprofit that advocates campaign reform and public financing of campaigns. Public Campaign has received funding from billionaire George Soros' Open Society Institute, a fact noted by Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Indialantic, who ranked fourth among the 435 members of Congress on the pro-DeLay list.
"Once again, we see billionaire George Soros skirting McCain-Feingold campaign laws and pumping tens of millions of dollars to hire former Democrat staffers to run Democrat front groups parading as unbiased watchdog groups who declare to all who will listen that Tom DeLay is, heaven forbid, a conservative!" Weldon said.
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River, was the only other Central Florida lawmaker to rank in the top 50.
Feeney said he has been independent and differed with DeLay by voting against adding prescription-drug coverage to Medicare and by proposing elimination of an antiquated rule that barred House members from mentioning the word Senate or naming senators during debates.
Seminole County Watch.com
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