as the noose tightens around another corrupt repub

i can hardly wait til it's Tom Delay's turn to have his house seized...

Firm Fined for Channeling Donations to GOP

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 19, 2005; Page A10

The Federal Election Commission yesterday fined Westar Energy Inc., two former corporate officers and the firm's lobbyist a total of $40,500 for their roles in channeling contributions to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) and other Republicans.

Westar, a Kansas energy company, was fined $20,000; it admitted in a conciliation agreement that it violated campaign laws by engaging "on two separate occasions in the practice of facilitating corporate contributions to candidates for federal office." Corporations are barred from contributing to federal campaigns.

Politics Trivia
Which of the following men did not serve as Director of Central Intelligence?

John Foster Dulles
James R. Schlesinger
James Woolsey
John M. Deutsch

The agreements made public do not apply to DeLay and to some other corporate officials.

But DeLay was admonished in connection with the case for creating the "improper appearance" that Westar might receive special access or treatment when he attended the company's golf fundraiser in June 2002, according to the House ethics committee.

At the time, energy legislation critically important to the company was about to go to a House-Senate conference committee. Language was inserted protecting Westar from financial damage that might be caused by other provisions of the bill.

Stuart Roy, then DeLay's spokesman, acknowledged that DeLay met with Westar representatives but said that "we have no control over any fantasies they might have about what they might get for a campaign contribution." The language was withdrawn from the bill after disclosures that the firm was under grand jury investigation.
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