GOP Puts Lobbying Scandal in Bull’s-Eye

WASHINGTON —  Moving to distance themselves from a growing corruption scandal, House GOP leaders Sunday chose Rep. David Dreier (R-San Dimas) to lead a crash effort to draw up legislation aimed at curbing the influence of lobbyists.

Dreier, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, flew back to Washington from California after House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) asked him to take on the high-profile assignment.

“We want to deal with this issue and get it behind us as quickly as possible,” Dreier told Fox News before heading to the airport. Several proposals from members of both parties already have been introduced.

The announcement of Dreier’s assignment came as Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the acting majority leader, said that they were entering the race to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas).

DeLay stepped down as House majority leader in September after being indicted on money-laundering charges in his home state. He said Saturday that he would not seek to regain his leadership position.

On Sunday, in DeLay’s first television interview since his announcement, he said his decision was unrelated to the ongoing federal corruption investigation involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff. “I am not a target of this investigation,” DeLay told Fox News.

Abramoff, whom DeLay described Sunday as a friend, acknowledged in guilty pleas last week that he cheated Indian tribal clients out of tens of millions of dollars and attempted to influence legislators with expensive trips, gifts and campaign contributions.

Although a number of proposals to overhaul lobbying rules have been introduced, finding bipartisan agreement on such an issue in an election year that might shift control of Congress could prove difficult.

In broad terms, Republicans favor changes that would require disclosure of contacts with lobbyists. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, for example, has suggested creating a website on which all government officials would have to post their interactions with lobbyists on a weekly basis.

Democrats would go beyond that. A proposal by Rep. David R. Obey of Wisconsin would bar lawmakers and staffers from accepting any trips from lobbyists. Before accepting a trip paid for by an outside party, lawmakers would have to certify that no lobbyists had been invited to travel along or participate in meetings.

Obey also would bar lawmakers-turned-lobbyists from using their floor privileges to buttonhole current members of Congress on behalf of a client during legislative sessions. Such conduct has long been frowned on as an abuse of the privilege, but is not forbidden.

The Senate may provide a more favorable climate for compromise. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), who teamed up on campaign finance reform, are also interested in curbing access by lobbyists.

A spokeswoman for Dreier said the congressman wanted to strike a balance that would make it harder for lobbyists to woo lawmakers with hidden gifts and favors without infringing on the right of citizens to press their views on Congress.

Although Dreier offered no specifics, he told Fox News that he wanted “bold, strong reform initiatives” with “greater transparency” and would consult with members of both parties.

In a written statement released before he returned to Washington, Dreier noted that “recent developments have made clear the need for the House to take a closer look at the rules regarding members’ interactions with lobbyists.”

Abramoff is not the only lobbyist to plead guilty in the continuing federal investigation. A former DeLay aide who went to work for Abramoff, Michael P.S. Scanlon, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe public officials.

When House Republicans return to Washington at the end of the month, they are expected to find themselves in the midst of a heated campaign to elect a successor to DeLay. The majority leader is No. 2 in the House hierarchy and essentially functions as manager of the ruling party, making sure that the legislative agenda that the majority leader helped set is carried out.

In his interview with Fox News, DeLay said he had chosen to step aside because “time was the enemy.”

“We needed to have a leadership race right now and have the elections sometime at the end of January ... so we can get to work in February and have our team in place,” he said.

Boehner, 56, said in a letter to his GOP colleagues that he wanted to lead “a conversation about renewal ... renewal in spirit, renewal in principles, renewal in commitment.”

“We’ve had a tough run recently, some of it of our own making,” he wrote. “We’re concerned about the future of our majority.”

First elected to the House in 1990, Boehner was among the junior back-benchers who teamed up with Gingrich, then a Georgia congressman, to wrest control of the House from the Democrats, who had held the leadership for four decades. In recent years, he has immersed himself in committee work and helped shape President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.

Blunt, 55, was first elected in 1996 and rose rapidly to the post of majority whip with DeLay’s help. His son, Matt, is governor of Missouri. Although he may seem to have the inside track because he is already acting leader, Blunt’s close relationship with DeLay could prove to be a handicap.

On Sunday, after Boehner had declared his candidacy, Blunt sent his own letter to colleagues.

“Unfortunately, the recent scandals have caused some to question whether we have lost our vision and whether the faith they placed in us is justified,” he wrote. “While I have no doubt that it is, it will be difficult to move forward with our platform until we regain the trust and confidence of our constituents by enacting new lobbying reforms and enhanced penalties for those who break the public trust.”

Blunt announced last week he was donating to charity $8,500 in campaign contributions linked to Abramoff. A watchdog group, the Center for Responsive Politics, has reported that Boehner received $32,500 in contributions from tribes represented by Abramoff. But Boehner’s spokesman, Don Seymour, said Sunday that the congressman was not aware of any connections with the lobbyist.

Times staff writers Janet Hook and Mary Curtius contributed to this report.