As the battle to replace Tom DeLay as majority leader of the House of Representatives heated up on Saturday, an aide to Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri told reporters that Blunt had began reaching out to fellow Republicans for support.
According to Reuters, the aide, Jessica Boulanger, said: "He (Blunt) hopes to have the votes at the end of the day to win the post. He is encouraged by the support he has seen so far. He starting make phone calls yesterday after a private discussion with Tom DeLay."
Followers of Washington news will recall Jessica Boulanger as the wife of former Jack Abramoff associate Todd Boulanger (above at right). An article which appeared in The Hill on March 15, 2005 described Boulanger as "well-connected" and stated:
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Tony Rudy, a former aide to Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), introduced Boulanger to his future wife, Jessica Incitto, a former Syracuse cheerleader who has worked for DeLay and GOP Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (Ohio). The two met in Broward County, Fla., during the 2000 presidential election recount.
She is now Majority Whip Roy Blunt’s (R-Mo.) press secretary, and the couple live in a basement apartment with a bamboo plant.
Todd Boulanger, the erstwhile Abramoff aide, is probably most known as the man who wrote a letter on behalf of the Louisiana Coushatta Tribe cosigned by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL), then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA). Abramoff's team collected $32 million from the Coushattas.
According to The Hill, Boulanger met Incitto with the help of Tony Rudy -- another Abramoff colleague and former DeLay staffer who is also under investigation for dubious lobbying practices.
As the battle to replace Tom DeLay as majority leader of the House of Representatives heated up on Saturday, an aide to Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri told reporters that Blunt had began reaching out to fellow Republicans for support.