House Republicans offered to start an investigation into Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) in hopes of resolving a dispute with Democrats over the ethics committee.

The GOP rewrote the rules for the ethics committee in a way that protects DeLay. They also removed the old chairman who had rebuked DeLay and stacked the committee with members -- including Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), the only Native American in Congress -- more sympathetic to DeLay.

As a result, Democrats have blocked the committee from doing any work. Democrats said yesterday's offer to start the probe of DeLay would not address their concerns about committee.

Get the Story:
GOP Offers Probe Of DeLay's Actions (The Washington Post 4/21)
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GOP offers ethics probe of DeLay (The Hill 4/21)
DeLay inquiry proposed (Cox News Service 4/21)
GOP's DeLay Inquiry Offer Rebuffed (The Los Angeles Times 4/21)
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House GOP prepared to launch ethics probe of DeLay (The Boston Globe 4/21)
House Ethics Panel Chairman Offers Deal on DeLay and Proposed Rules (The New York Times 4/21)
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