WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, says reports on payments to family members for campaign work are unfair and many House GOP members are supporting him.
The New York Times reported Wednesday DeLay's wife and daughter had received more than $500,000 since 2001 from the representative's campaign and political action committees.
In an interview with CNN, DeLay characterized the report as "just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me." He said his wife and daughter had earned the payments with legitimate work.
It is not unusual for members of Congress to hire family members for such work, the Times reported. Rep. Roy Blunt, D-Mo., told the newspaper: "These things that Tom has been criticized about in one way or the other every member of Congress could be criticized about."
DeLay's overall activities have been under scrutiny for some time. The House ethics committee admonished him three times last year, people associated with a PAC he founded have been indicted for fund-raising irregularities and several foreign trips he has taken have had their sources of funding questioned.
DeLay's supporters claim the scrutiny is driven by a desire to halt DeLay's conservative agenda for Congress. He reportedly was very warmly received at a House GOP caucus Wednesday.
