WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (AFP) - The chief enforcer of the Republican Party line in the US House of Representatives has been cited for unethical conduct for the second time in as many weeks, with fellow lawmakers warning that his conduct reflected badly on the Congress.
The House ethics committee on Wednesday sent a letter of admonishment to Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the Republican majority leader and a key congressional ally of President George W. Bush, advising him to "temper" his future actions "to assure that you are in full compliance at all times with the applicable House rules and standards of conduct."
The action came in response to a complaint from a fellow Texas congressman, who accused DeLay of participating in a June 2002 golf outing with executives of an energy company, which was used to raise funds for the Republican Party.
The problem, according to the committee, was that the fundraiser took place just as House-Senate conferees were trying to iron out difference on a major piece of energy legislation, and some participants of the junket were keenly interested in the outcome of these talks.
DeLay, noted the letter, was "in a position to significantly influence the conference, both as a member of the House leadership" and as one of the conferees.
Republican Committee Chairman Joel Hefley and the ranking Democrat, Allan Mollohan, also found fault with the majority leader's May 2003 attempt to use the Federal Aviation Administration to locate a plane reportedly carrying Democratic members of the Texas state legislature.
Texas Democrats boycotted the chambers in a failed attempt to block passage of legislation that re-carves congressional districts in the state to benefit Republican candidates -- and even fled Texas to avoid being rounded up by state troopers.
The committee said DeLay's actions in this episode were "objectionable" and raised "serious concerns under the fundamental concepts of separation of powers and federalism."
Last week, the same panel cited the Texan for trying to coerce a fellow Republican congressman, Nick Smith of Michigan, to vote for a hugely expensive bill guaranteeing prescription drugs to senior citizens.
The bill is seen by Bush as a key element of his re-election strategy, but it is also widely criticized as wasteful.
According to committee documents, DeLay offered to endorse Smith's son in a congressional primary election in exchange for the lawmaker's support for the bill.