Mech
Joined: 06 Jun 2001
Posts: 8237
Location: THE 4th REICH USA |
(R) Tom DeLay illegally used 600k in corp. money
 Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:44 am
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DeLay Group Illegally Used Corporate Money -Lawyer
1 hour, 22 minutes ago
Politics - Reuters
By Hilary Hylton
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A political action committee formed by U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay illegally used $600,000 in corporate money to help Republicans win control of the Texas Legislature in 2002, attorneys for defeated Democrats said on Monday.
"This case is about corporate funds that were not reported but were used for political purposes," lawyer Cris Feldman said in opening arguments of a suit against Bill Cervera, treasurer of DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority, or TRMPAC.
The suit follows many complaints by opponents of DeLay, one of the most powerful members of the Republican Party, that he has engaged in unethical behavior. He rejects the claims, saying he is the victim of a witch hunt.
In Texas, it is illegal to fund political campaigns with corporate donations.
The lawsuit is a civil action filed by five Democratic defeated candidates for the Texas House of Representatives.
TRMPAC is also under criminal investigation for its role in the 2002 vote that saw Republicans take control of the Texas Legislature for the first time since the 1870s.
Cervera denied wrongdoing and told the court he knew little about TRMPAC's financial activities, despite his position. He said former DeLay fund-raiser John Colyandro, the committee's executive director, ran most day-to-day operations.
Colyandro and two other DeLay associates, Warren RoBold and Jim Ellis, have been indicted for their role in the TRMPAC campaign. DeLay is not a defendant in the civil lawsuit and has not been charged so far in the criminal case.
Cervera's attorney Terry Scarborough stressed in his argument to state district judge Joe Hart, who is hearing the case without a jury, that "this case is not about Tom DeLay."
Cervera admitted that DeLay was on the advisory board for TRMPAC, but said he never took part in conference calls or other activities.
NEW COMPLAINT AGAINST DELAY
In the latest Washington complaint against DeLay, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for another probe of Delay, who was admonished by the House ethics committee on three separate matters last year.
Pelosi said the committee should examine a report last week in the National Journal that a lobbyist filed for $4,285.35 in expenses from his law firm for reimbursement for DeLay's hotel bill during a 2000 trip to London.
"The House gift rule clearly states that lobbyists cannot pay a member's travel expenses, but the expense voucher submitted by lobbyist Jack Abramoff indicates that this is precisely what he did for Mr. DeLay," Pelosi said.
A Delay spokesman, Dan Allen, dismissed Pelosi's comments as "another partisan attack." He said DeLay's trip was organized and paid for by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank where Abramoff had previously served on its board of directors.
Allen said it was done in accordance with House rules and been previously reported on DeLay's travel disclosure form.
Abramoff and a former DeLay aide, Michael Scanlon, already are targets of federal and congressional probes involving millions of dollars from clients, including Indian tribes with casino operations.
Earlier this year, to the outrage House Democrats, the chairman of the ethics committee was replaced and two donors to DeLay's defense fund were named to the panel. (Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro) |
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