Boehner's travel and PAC spending aren't a huge change from DeLay's ways

When Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, was elected House majority leader on Feb. 2, he presented himself as a new kind of leader — someone who would rise above doing business as usual, a departure from the aggressive tactics and ethical tight-rope walking of his predecessor, Tom "The Hammer" DeLay. But the Center for Public Integrity's examination of Boehner's political financial activities during his 15 years on Capitol Hill indicates that the way he does business might not be so different from DeLay.

While Boehner may not be a hammer, he has been a highflyer.

Federal Elections Commission records and House travel disclosure forms reviewed by the Center indicate that Boehner used his leadership PAC "Freedom Project" to build a network of political and business relationships not unlike Delay's own.

The Center analysis found that Boehner:

• has taken dozens of trips on private jets owned by corporations that have legislative interests before Congress
• has accepted scores of privately sponsored trips (often categorized as having fact-finding or educational purposes) to some of the world's premier golf spots and foreign locales
• has hosted many high-end fund-raisers to wine and dine potential donors and Republican colleagues
• has donated millions of dollars to election campaigns of fellow Republicans.

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