Question

Why did Representative Tom DeLay lose his post as House majority leader?

a. He was implicated in a scandal involving campaign donations from lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
b. He was forced out through the leveraging of money by a host of PACs, who opposed his attempts to limit their influence.
c. He was voted out of office when Democrats were able to paint him as an unscrupulous supporter of big business.
d. The major labor unions turned against him and encouraged their supporters to vote him out of office when he opposed their lobbying efforts.
e. He angered the members of the AARP by suggesting that government retirement benefits should be cut.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option a. He was implicated in a scandal involving campaign donations from lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Step-by-step explanation:

Representative Tom DeLay lost his position as House majority leader because he was implicated in a scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff. DeLay was found to have close ties with Abramoff, who was involved in illegal lobbying activities, including using his client's funds for various purposes that violated ethical standards, such as funding reelection campaigns, paying for trips, and hiring relatives of members of Congress.

In DeLay's specific case, Abramoff paid for DeLay's trip to Scotland and provided employment to DeLay's wife for a research project, all while expecting political favors in return. This association and the resulting ethical implications damaged DeLay's reputation and undermined his standing, ultimately leading to his resignation as the majority leader.

The scandal involving Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff was a factor contributing to the push for lobbying reforms to prevent similar ethical breaches in the future. Such reforms included stricter limits on the value of gifts that lawmakers could accept from lobbyists and revolving door laws to delay the registration of former lawmakers as lobbyists immediately after leaving office. Despite these efforts, the practice of former lawmakers turning to lobbying remains commonplace.