The effects of Tom DeLay's indictment on conspiracy charges Wednesday were felt in Wisconsin as Democrats across the state condemned Republican lawmakers who were associated with the congressional leader.
Joe Wineke, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, called on U.S. Reps. Mark Green and Paul Ryan to return contributions they had received from DeLay.
\For years, serious ethical questions have surrounded Tom DeLay, and now that he's been indicted, Green and Ryan should immediately return this tainted money,"" Wineke said in a statement.
Green's office has declined to return money, saying it would be illegal for them to do so.
""Doyle's Democratic Party of Wisconsin has once again shown that they have no regard for campaign finance laws in this state or this country,"" Mark Graul, a spokesperson for Green said. ""It would be against the law for Mark Green to give a $30,000 contribution to Tom Delay as they suggest.""
Graul also said the bulk of donations that Green received from DeLay occurred six years ago and the most recent was from about three years ago.
""Those contributions are old and have been long since gone so you can't refund what you don't have,"" Graul said.
The Democratic Party responded by saying that Green had money saved up and could give money to a non-partisan charity.
Democrats in Oshkosh criticized their U.S. Rep. Tom Petri for comments he made a year ago regarding DeLay. In explaining the ethics reprimands DeLay received Petri said, ""It's a little like a traffic violation. You can get arrested for things, but it's not like murder.""
Gordon Hintz, Chair of the Democratic Party in the sixth congressional district, said that Petri showed that he felt corruption and ethics violations were ""no big deal.\
