Texas court upholds dismissal of ex-House leader DeLay's convictions

By Amanda Orr (Reuters) - A Texas court on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of money-laundering and conspiracy convictions against former U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found that another state appeals court had correctly overturned DeLay's 2010 convictions, finding insufficient evidence against him in September 2013. DeLay, a once-prominent Republican known as "The Hammer" for his tough political tactics, had been accused of funneling $190,000 in corporate campaign donations to Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature in the 2002 elections. DeLay's political action committee was accused of giving $190,000 it received in corporate donations to the Republican National State Elections Committee. Two weeks later, the national committee gave $190,000 to seven Republican candidates in Texas. This practice, known as "swapping," is a way to bypass Texas law that requires corporate donations to go only to overhead costs of a campaign, according to court documents. "What they did today was reaffirm that this wasn't a prosecution but a persecution by bullies in blue suits over the last decade," DeLay's attorney, Brian Wice, said. DeLay insisted the funds were not tainted because the circumstances under which they were generated did not violate any felony provision of the Election Code. Judge Cheryl Johnson wrote in the ruling that although the "wheeling and dealing was a tad shady," it was legal. DeLay was elected to the U.S. House in 1984 and rose eventually to the No. 2 position behind the speaker. (Reporting by Amanda Orr in Houston; Editing by Brendan O'Brien)