House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's (R-TX) iron fist tenure as the majordomo of the Republican agenda in Congress has attracted scrutiny for its shocking combination of conflicts of interest, questionable ethics, and arrogance of power. He revealed his darker side in the aftermath of the Terri Shiavo controversy with his thinly veiled threats against the judiciary, which helped further weaken his support back in Texas (here and here). DeLay's strong-arm tactics and loose ethics have even angered some in his own camp (for good measure, here too). Turns out, unsurprisingly, that DeLay's kingdom of corruption extends to the bankruptcy bill that must now pass through the House before reaching the president's desk.

A new report from the Public Campaign Action Fund highlights the love-love relationship between DeLay and the banking and credit card industries. DeLay ranked 15th amongst his House colleagues in contributions from the lending industry with $337,000; when contributions to his leadership PAC, ARMPAC, is factored in, the total nearly doubles to $620,000. His drive to pass the bill quickly could be explained by the 76% increase in contributions he's received from credit and banking industries since the previous election cycle in 2002. The Majority Leader's full-throated support of the anti-consumer bankruptcy bill, and his eagerness to pass it as quickly as possible without adjustment, is strengthened nightly by pillow talk with his friends in the lending industries.

As a whole, of the 15 top recipients of banking/credit industry money, 80% flowed into the coffers of GOP House members. This steady flow of funds helped vault the bankruptcy bill to the top of the agenda for this Congress, and explains why the GOP leadership in both houses have proven unwilling to consider any amendments to a bill drafted by the credit and banking lobby 8 years ago.

The bankruptcy bill bears the imprint of a DeLay operation: it is creditor-written, well-funded, and stinks to high heaven of DeLay's K street connections. There should be no doubt that this is Tom DeLay's bill, and the 8 year struggle for its passage is part of a larger narrative of a burgeoning government-for-hire that has personified DeLay's tenure as jefe of the Republicans in Congress. If the spirit moves you, more information on taking action on the DeLay's bankruptcy bill can be found here.