Rick Bolanos requests Congressional Ethics Committee to investigate Henry Bonilla

Congressional candidate Rick Bolanos (photo)

By Diana Valdez

Rick Bolaños, El Paso Democratic contender for U.S. Congressional District 23, is asking the Congressional Ethics Committee to investigate the activities of U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla's political action committee, known as the American Dream PAC.

In the complaint, Bolaños alleges that Bonilla, who is running for re-election in November, "helped finance the redistricting efforts through his (American Dream) PAC that contributed more than $100,000 that was routed to the Republican Party, including a GOP redistricting effort in Texas."

The complaint also alleges Bonilla "was instrumental in drawing the district lines so that he could choose who voted for him and 'ensure Republicans could win' instead of permitting the constituents of the 23rd Congressional District to vote for the candidate of their choice ... a clear violation of the rules of ethical comportment by an incumbent."

Bolaños said he also is seeking a moratorium on further fund-raising by the PAC, "because it is being used to benefit an unconstitutionally delineated district."

He also alleged that the PAC violated Federal Election Committee rules by not registering as a PAC that aimed to raise money for redistricting.

The Washington Post published a story in 2004 about the American Dream PAC that said only 8.9 percent of the $547,000 that Bonilla raised for the PAC went to minority candidates, which was the PAC's original goal.

The story also said more than $100,000 was routed "to Republican Party organizations or causes, including a GOP redistricting effort in Texas, a legal defense fund for (former) House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) and Bonilla's reelection campaign."

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the district Bonilla represents violates the Voting Rights Act because it disenfranchised 100,000 Hispanic voters in Webb County. The district boundaries stretch from Laredo and San Antonio to far east El Paso County.