It’s so easy to get disappointed by Tom DeLay. It’s not just because he’s a right-wing lunatic who’s worked his way to being House Majority Leader, it’s also because the guy consistently falls into potential scandals, only to find a way out unscathed.
Time and again, I’ve gotten my hopes up. Remember when DeLay apparently lied under oath when his bug spray company was sued? Or, more recently, when DeLay claimed to be raising tax-deductible donations for a children’s charity but was really using the money to pay for parties at the upcoming Republican National Convention?
Really, the list goes on and on. But there’s one controversy that’s been lingering over a suspicious DeLay campaign finance scheme for nearly a year without resolution. And since there’s an ongoing criminal investigation, hope springs eternal. As the LA Times reported over the weekend:
Authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into whether corporate money, including hundreds of thousands of dollars linked to U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, improperly financed the Republican Party’s takeover of the Texas Capitol.
The probe is focused on several political and fundraising organizations run by Republican activists, investigators said. One of the organizations, the political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority, has direct ties to DeLay, a Texas Republican and one of the most powerful politicians in Washington.
At issue is whether the organizations improperly used corporate contributions to help finance the campaigns of more than 20 Republican candidates for the Texas House of Representatives in 2002, according to documents and interviews with prosecutors and government investigators.
There may be something to this. DeLay’s Texans for a Republican Majority raised more than $520,000 in corporate contributions for GOP candidates and has been accused of illegally using the money for state political activities.
Just as importantly, as the Times article explains in some detail, DeLay’s Texas PAC also may have coordinated its campaign activities with the Texas Association of Business, a state lobbying group, in order to help GOP candidates in 20 specific Texas House districts, nearly all of whom won in 2002. Apparently, DeLay’s group sent out exact copies of the lobbying association’s campaign mailings on behalf of a state House candidate, drawing the attention of prosecutors.
Way back in March, when the Houston Chronicle first reported on this controversy, the usually loquacious DeLay suddenly got rather shy. During his weekly press briefing on March 25, a reporter asked about the investigation. DeLay responded, “That’s not on the agenda” and refused further comment.
Something to keep an eye on.