DeLeo Calls A Huddle

Published Jun 03 2009, 12:06 PM by David S. Bernstein

Speaker Robert DeLeo has called a caucus of all the Democratic House members this afternoon, at 1:00, to talk about the DiMasi situation -- I'm told that DeLeo intends this primarily as a "taking stock" conversation. But, I'm also told that there may be some push-back from some of the more aggrieved members, who want some real assurance that DeLeo himself is not going to turn into a huge political liability for the membership. Not that anyone thinks DeLeo is corrupt -- they don't -- but that DeLeo might have been DiMasi's unwitting dupe, and the public might not feel like making that distinction. DeLeo is the guy who inserted a lot of DiMasi's questionable measures into bills, in his Ways & Means Committee. And think about this: doesn't it make sense that DiMasi orchestrated DeLeo's succession in the expectation that doing so would retain DiMasi's ability to make things happen for his "clients"?

I don't expect any serious effort to replace DeLeo as Speaker, but lawmakers -- who almost all voted to retain DiMasi in January -- are sweating bullets right now about the political future. DeLeo's got a tough job ahead trying to guide them through this.