Yesterday's AP article and this morning's story about DeLay-pal lobbyist Jack Abramoff possibly reaching a plea agreement soon, raises the question once again:

Isn't it time that Tom DeLay should just resign from Congress?

Ask your member of Congress this question.

An intriguing but complicated story from the Austin American Statesman is worth a read. All the t's aren't crossed and the i's aren't dotted yet, but it looks like Tom DeLay and Abramoff could be in trouble with the IRS. The gist of the story is:

GOP Lobbyists Plan Show of Support for DeLay, from Saturday's Washington Post.

They really don't care what it look like do they?

From the story:

Philip Shenon reports in today's New York Times that investigations into alleged wrong-doing by scandalized lobbyist Jack Abramoff have turned up some interesting e-mails involving indicted former Majority Leader DeLay.

In 2002, it appears that DeLay put pressure on Abramoff to raise money for him through a private charity that the lobbyist controlled. The request led Abramoff to try to raise the money from Indian tribes that he represented.

Our friends over at Public Citizen have been looking into the details of who has contributed to former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's sizable legal defense fund.

"Under House rule XXV (5)(c)(3), registered lobbyists are prohibited from making contributions to a member’s legal defense fund," the release states.

The Free Enterprise Fund, a conservative lobbying group, will beginning running ads on national cable and in DeLay's district this week, defending him from "shark attacks" by the "liberals and the media." According to Glen Justice of the New York Times, the ads say: "Don't let them take a bite out of Tom DeLay."

On last night's NBC's Nightly News:

The cost of DeLay's room, with all the amenities, was $295 a night. On the bill, charges for DeLay and his chief of staff are mixed with Abramoff's — room charges, sports pool bar, mini bar and phone, for a total of $3,302.50

The first comes on the heels of the announcement yesterday that House Ethics Chairman Doc Hastings and House Speaker Denny Hastert will allow a new vote on restoring the old rules of ethics investigations. Jim Drinkard of USA Today looks ahead to whether the Ethics Committee can actually do its job in investigating DeLay without the appearance, at least, of conflict of interest. You see, Drinkard reports,

From Sharon Theimer of AP:

The Northern Marianas billing and correspondence records of Abramoff's former lobbying firm, Preston Gates, were obtained by The Associated Press under an open records request approved by the island government.