Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

January 07, 2006

White House Tried to Push DeLay

Before stepping down as majority leader, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) "held a series of private discussions with current and former colleagues over the last two days, most of whom told him to give up any hope of returning to the leadership following Abramoffís conviction," Roll Call reports.

Former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie "even flew to Houston to offer DeLay the same advice. Gillespie and the GOP lawmakers told DeLay that it would be impossible for him to return as Majority Leader, a position also echoed by his senior aides. DeLay then decided that it was 'better to step down rather than be thrown out.'"

Several House Republican aides told Hotline On Call that "the White House sent Gillespie but also says DeLay "refused to meet with Gillespie."

Whatever the case, the Washington Post says the White House "quickly issued a statement praising DeLay's move."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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