Today, House Republicans elected Rep. John Boehner (Bay-ner) of Ohio as their new majority leader choosing a self-proclaimed reform candidate to replace indicted Rep. Tom DeLay as the party struggles with an ethics scandal, although Rep. Roy Blunt was serving in the position temporarily. I was afraid they might elect Roy Blunt of Missouri (7th district) to replace DeLay. Blunt's the father of the current Missouri governor, and many consider "Baby" Matt Blunt a "Pompas A." Furthermore, one of Blunt's sons is a lobbyist, and so is Roy Blunt's wife.
"Papa" Blunt pulled all the strings he had to get Matt elected governor, including money from Roy's second wife. In 2003, Roy Blunt divorced his wife of 31 years to marry Philip Morris (now Altria) lobbyist Abigail Perlman. Before it was known publicly that Blunt and Ms. Perlman were dating – and only hours after Blunt assumed the role of Majority Whip – he tried to secretly insert a provision into Homeland Security legislation that would have benefited Philip Morris at the expense of competitors. In addition, Rep. Roy Blunt's son Andrew lobbies on behalf of Philip Morris.
Oh, and one more thing, in 1999, two years after taking office, Roy Blunt was handpicked by then-Whip Tom DeLay to serve as Chief Deputy Whip. Blunt assumed the role of Whip in 2003, when DeLay became the Majority Leader. People in Washington call Tom DeLay Blunt's mentor.
Rep. John Boehner has no ties to DeLay or any lobbyist. Rep. Blunt has more than one, and his ethics issues stem from his misuse of his position for the benefit of his family. Roy Blunt lost today, another mind-boggle avoided, and I am a happy camper!
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