December 05, 2005

Tom Delay's redistricting plan was viewed as illegal by the Bush Administration's Department of Justice. He was admonished several times by the House of Representatives for ethics violations, saw colleagues indicted on felony charges, and faces money laundering charges.

DeLay and two Republican fundraisers, John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, are accused of illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate donations to 2002 Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature.

With DeLay's help, the GOP took control of the Texas House for the first time in 130 years, then pushed through a congressional redistricting plan engineered by DeLay that resulted in more Texas Republicans going to Congress.

Under Texas law, corporate money cannot be directly used for political campaigns, but it can be used for administrative purposes.
[Update 3: DeLay's Money Laundering Charges Upheld - AP - 12-05-05]

Despite all this, Vice President Dick Cheney still believes Tom Delay represents the very best today's Republican Party has to offer.

Vice President Dick Cheney heads to Houston today to help raise money for former U.S. House majority leader Tom Delay at the Westin Oaks Galleria.

Delay supporters will begin to arrive for a fundraiser around 4pm. Cheney's attendance is a clear sign that the White House is not distancing itself from the embattled former House majority leader, who is facing charges of breaking state campaign finance law.
[Dick Cheney to appear at fundraiser for Rep. Tom DeLay - ABCnews - 12-05-05]

UPDATE 8:25pm: New poll numbers from Tom Delay's district.

The survey found that 49 percent of registered voters questioned said they are more likely to vote for a Democratic challenger than for DeLay in 2006, and 36 percent said they would be more likey to vote for DeLay.

Former Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson is planning to challenge DeLay in the 2006 elections.

The survey also found that 55 percent of registered voters said that the charges that DeLay broke campaign finance laws are definitely or probably true, while 34 percent said they were probably or definitely not true.
[Update 11: DeLay's Money Laundering Charges Upheld - AP - 12-05-05]