Denton Record-Chronicle | News for Denton, Texas

Hutchison supports DeLay: 'Listen to what he has to say'

04/13/2005

Associated Press

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, once the target of a Texas grand jury but eventually cleared, declared support for troubled House Republican Leader Tom DeLay on Wednesday.

"The Majority Leader is the target of an unfair media feeding frenzy. He deserves to have people actually listen to what he has to say," Hutchison said.

Her comments came the day after DeLay met with Senate Republicans urging them to blame Democrats if asked about his ethics controversy and after he accused the news media of twisting supportive comments so they sounded like criticism.

DeLay has been dogged with questions about his overseas travel, corporate fund raising in 2002 for Texas legislative campaigns, campaign payments to family members and his connections to a lobbyist now under federal investigation.

DeLay, of Sugar Land, has said repeatedly he has done nothing wrong.

A grand jury indicted Hutchison soon after she was elected to the Senate in 1993. She faced charges of using tax dollars for personal and political gain and destroying records as part of a cover up while she served as state treasurer in the early 1990s.

Hutchison was cleared of the felony ethics charges after a judge refused to rule whether evidence Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle seized in a June raid of the state treasury could be used. Earle refused to proceed with his prosecution without the ruling on the evidence.

The judge in the case instructed jurors to find Hutchison innocent, and she was acquitted.

Hutchison is considered a possible challenger to Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the 2006 GOP primary. Perry already has lined up support from some prominent Republicans and has portrayed himself as the conservative choice. Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn also is a possible GOP candidate.

Hutchison and DeLay have differed on issues, namely over spending federal money for light rail in Houston. But the two have also have been on the same side of issues such as the Iraq war and partial birth abortion.

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On the Net: Majority Leader Tom DeLay: http://www.majorityleader.gov

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: http://hutchison.senate.gov

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AP: Texas