WurfWhile

I called Illinois District 13 Representative Judy Biggert’s Washington, D.C. office (202.225.3515) this afternoon and asked what her vote was on the Republican rule change that would permit a criminally indicted House member to stay in leadership (Judy’s my U.S. House member). In this case the rule change is really about Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The 1993 Republican rule requiring indicted leaders to step down was supposed to show Republican ethical superiority to House Democrats, whose leadership was tainted with scandal at the time. How some things have changed - and how other things stay the same.

Judy sits on the House Ethics Committee. She recently was part of a vote to slap Tom DeLay on the wrist (they gave DeLay “admonishments”) for bad ethics (some of which may prove to be illegal too). Many were skeptical that the Ethics Committee would do the right thing. According to Robert Novak, Representative Biggert received over 3,000 anti-DeLay emails from Moveon.org during the proceedings. In the end few critics were likely persuaded that the Ethics Committee did the right thing.

So how did Judy vote on the ethics rule change? Did she vote for DeLay?

Her office told me the rule change vote was a secret voice vote. When I said that surely Judy would know how she voted, they said she wasn’t at the office now, but they took my address down for a future letter.

I’ll print the response here if and when I get it.