AP: Texas

10/27/2005

By WENDY BENJAMINSON  / Associated Press

HOUSTON — U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, under indictment on charges of campaign finance violations, wrote his constituents and contributors Thursday, railing against Democrats for engaging in "the politics of personal destruction."

Citing investigations into possible misconduct by White House adviser Karl Rove, Senate Majority leader Bill Frist and himself, DeLay said: "What we're fighting is so much larger than a single court case or a single district attorney in Travis County. We are witnessing the criminalization of conservative politics."

DeLay stepped down as House majority leader after he was indicted Sept. 28 on conspiracy charges related to 2002 campaign fund-raising for the Texas Legislature. He was indicted again five days later on money-laundering charges.

He and two associates are accused of illegally funneling corporate money to Texas legislative campaigns.

DeLay has launched an aggressive defense, seeking to have the judge removed because of his Democratic political activity and keeping up a steady stream of invective against Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle.

DeLay said Earle engaged in prosecutorial misconduct to charge him with a crime that DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, said wasn't on the books when the crime allegedly occurred in 2002.

"Just because a rogue Democratic prosecutor doesn't agree with some political tactics doesn't make them illegal or even wrong. He has an opinion, but he doesn't make the law," DeLay's letter said.

Earle has declined to comment on DeLay's repeated attacks.

On Tuesday, a Democratic retired District Judge, C.W. Duncan, Jr., will hear DeLay's motion to remove state District Judge Bob Perkins from the case because of his contributions to Democratic candidates and causes.

The letter Thursday was prepared for the Fort Bend County Republican Party newsletter, party chairman Eric Thode said. Thode said he also distributed it to an e-mail list of about 2,000 households of active Republicans in Fort Bend County, DeLay's home county, as well as state and national elected and party officials "to get it out there quicker."

DeLay's hometown is Sugar Land, just southwest of Houston. His district includes all or parts of Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties.