delayThe Justice Department last week ended its six-year investigation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his ties to convicted GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But that doesn't mean DeLay is out of legal hot water.
The hard-charging conservative leader, who had formerly been known as "The Hammer," heads to court today in Texas, where he and two former aides are facing trial on charges they used an elaborate network of political action committees to funnel money illegally from corporations directly to GOP campaigns in Texas in 2002. Like federal law, Texas campaign rules prohibit direct corporate contributions to candidates. Prosecutors allege DeLay intentionally broke the law by taking nearly $200,000 in corporate donations and giving that money to the Republican National Committee, which then gave it to several Texas legislative candidates.
The RNC has said its contributions to the Texas candidates came from a different account that included only contributions from individual donors. Still, DeLay was indicted on money-laundering charges in 2005 and was forced to give up his GOP leadership post. He resigned from Congress the following year. DeLay hasn't done much since then — aside from his appearance last year on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." He continues to deny any wrongdoing and has called the investigation politically motivated.
As the Austin-American Statesman's Laylan Copelin reports, the judge today will consider several motions — including a proposal to move the trial out of Austin, one of the few Democratic strongholds in Texas, and another to try DeLay and his former associates separately.
(Photo of DeLay on "Dancing with the Stars" by Adam Larke-ABC/AP)
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