DeLay inquiry is sought

Group wants to know if donations were bribes; Texan's aide assails call

8 Jul 2005 // A public interest group that has long accused House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of ethical lapses said Thursday that it will ask the Justice Department to open a bribery investigation against him, citing a report that a Kansas company donated to one of his political committees to gain favorable treatment in an energy bill.

The left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said the revelation goes beyond anything the House ethics committee looked into or found when it admonished Mr. DeLay last fall for playing golf with Westar Energy executives. That was shortly after the company sent $25,000 to Texans for a Republican Majority.

The ethics panel said last fall that the outing looked improper even though no favors were issued. It found that Mr. DeLay did not improperly solicit Westar donations or grant special favors.

DeLay spokeswoman Shannon Flaherty said the public interest organization "is simply a Democrat attack group that's desperately trying to recycle false allegations that have already been dismissed."

Three DeLay lieutenants associated with TRMPAC are under indictment in Austin, accused of steering corporate contributions to state candidates in violation of Texas law. Westar has also been indicted in the case.

All deny wrongdoing.

Also Thursday, an Austin grand jury reissued indictments against two of the DeLay associates charged with illegal use of $190,000 in corporate funds for state campaigns. The new indictments refer to the transfer of "funds" rather than checks. Lawyers for the defendants, Jim Ellis and John Colyandro, had complained that the relevant statute didn't refer to checks.

Westar officials have long maintained that the company donated to TRMPAC in hopes of gaining access to Mr. DeLay, and the company repeated that stance this week. On Thursday, The Dallas Morning News reported that in a recent court document, Westar said company officials "were told they needed to write a check for $25,000" to TRMPAC to get a meeting with Mr. DeLay.

And at an April hearing, on a lawsuit brought by Democratic state lawmakers against TRMPAC, Westar attorney Martha Dickey told an Austin judge that company officials hoped the contribution would also prompt Mr. DeLay to help them on pending energy legislation.

"The question is, were they paying for more than just the meeting," said Melanie Sloan, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

A provision sought by Westar was initially included in a House energy bill, with Mr. DeLay's support, but was eventually dropped after news emerged that Westar was under federal investigation.