DeLay Fund Gets $400G for Legal Expenses (owes $315,000 in legal fees)

[maddezmom]

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, accepted more than $400,000 in donations last year to help fight the various ethical allegations against him, but still owes three law firms at least $125,000 for his ongoing legal expenses.


Financial disclosure forms released Wednesday show that the Texas Republican took in $439,300 in contributions to his legal expense fund in 2004, when questions first arose about his ties to a lobbyist under federal criminal investigation, Jack Abramoff. Other reports show that $254,250 of those contributions came to DeLay's legal defense fund during the last three months of 2004.

He still owes three law firms between $125,003 and $315,000 combined for his legal expenses, and three major companies who have in the past given to his fund — American Airlines, Verizon and Nissan North America Inc. — have said they will no longer contribute.

Critics have been calling for closer scrutiny of some of DeLay's overseas travel, including trips that included Abramoff, and other ties to Abramoff. One of those trips included South Korea in 2001, but officials have said he did not realize the organization that paid for the journey had registered as a foreign agent two days before the traveling party left the United States.

~snip~
more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050615/ap_on_go_co/house_disclosures;_

[Roland99]

1. Covering up and defending crimes is expensive.

[aquart]

2. Hope he has to file for bankruptcy.

Gosh. He better do it soon.

[Lochloosa]

6. LOL

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Ian David]

3. I'm surprised the conservative anti-semites don't play-up the Jewish angle

Maybe they're too busy worrying about gay people to bother with Jews anymore.

If only we could prove that Tom DeLay is gay.

It even rhymes.

www.DeLayIsGay.com

[rainbow4321]

4. TX Gov Perry aiding indicted (Delay)pair's organization

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/11872023.htm

Gov. Rick Perry is lending his endorsement to an organization established by two indicted associates of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay that is promoting amending the Texas Constitution to ban gay marriage.

Perry, who this week was quoted as saying that gay war veterans returning to Texas should live elsewhere if they wish to marry, touts the gay-marriage ban in a video link on a Web site operated by the Texas Marriage Alliance.

The Web site was set up by a Vienna, Va., consulting firm operated by John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, the DeLay associates under indictment in Texas on charges of violating campaign-finance laws during the 2002 election. Both are charged with money laundering, and Colyandro also faces 13 counts of unlawful acceptance of a corporate political contribution


Kelly Fero, a Democratic operative in Austin, said Perry's involvement with the DeLay associates raises questions about the governor's judgment. "It would seem that Governor Perry is as careless with his associations as Tom DeLay was," Fero said. "I guess the people will have to determine whether it's a good idea for their governor to be in league with two individuals who are the subject of an ongoing legal investigation."

[TroglodyteScholar]

5. Still...

Still won't fly AA, talk on Verizon, or drive Nissan. Those guys can save their refusals to contribute further...the first contribution was enough for me.....................

[deadparrot]

7. Embattled Republican leader [DeLay] faces legal bills

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embattled House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay received $439,300 in donations to his legal-defense fund last year, yet ended up owing at least $125,000 in legal expenses, according to his 2004 financial disclosure statement released on Wednesday.

The report also showed that DeLay, admonished by the House ethics committee last year on three separate matters and now facing new questions about foreign travel and ties to lobbyists, got $344,500 in corporate donations to his defense fund and $94,800 in individual donations.

The annual financial report, required of all members of Congress, showed that the Texas Republican owed three law firms a total of between $125,000 and $315,000.

DeLay listed no foreign travel in his report, but cited five trips in the United States, including one to Miami paid for by his nonprofit DeLay Foundation for Kids.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/congress_delay_dc

[rooboy]

8. Where do I donate? Does he take PayPal?

:rofl:

[speedingbullet]

9. Can I Donate?

Is there somewhere I can donate to fund more inquiry and litigation so as to drive up his legal bills? Getting that money out of Tom's hand's should be good for the economy.