WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, characterized an indictment against him in Texas as purely political and denied any wrongdoing in the campaign-finance case.
DeLay was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in Travis County, Texas, which had spent three years investigating campaign-funding irregularities involving corporate funds in state legislative races.
If convicted, DeLay could be sentenced to two years in prison but the indictment itself immediately brings GOP rules into affect that force him to "temporarily," in his words, resign as U.S. House majority leader. DeLay retains his seat in Congress
"I have done nothing wrong," DeLay said, calling Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle "a partisan fanatic" who carried out the investigation for political reasons. Earle, a Democrat, denied partisanship played a part in the probe.
The charge relates to a September 2002 blank check sent by DeLay's political action committee -- Texans for a Republican Majority -- to Jim Ellis, DeLay's primary fundraiser in Washington.
Ellis and Texans for a Republican Majority Executive Director John Colyandro have been indicted on charges of laundering $190,000 in corporate donations into non-corporate money sent to seven Texas House candidates.
