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DeLay goes on offense against allegations

WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Tom DeLay often plays defense in public in his fight against allegations of ethical misconduct, saying he didn't know about specific fundraising practices under investigation in Texas or groups in Washington that paid for his travel.

Behind the scenes, though, the House majority leader has gone on offense like few public figures before him. With his blessing, Republican leaders remade House ethics rules and the committee that reprimanded him last year, inserting allies and policies more favorable to his circumstances.

He also has portrayed his accusers as politically motivated while saying, "I have yet to be found breaking any House rules."

"All they can do is try to tear down the House and burn it down in order to gain power," DeLay said recently of the Democrats.

Charles Tiefer, a former congressional lawyer and now a University of Baltimore law professor, said DeLay has been more aggressive than former officials who faced controversy.

DeLay has "already succeeded in using his political strength to protect himself" by changing the ethics rules and replacing committee members, Tiefer said. Efforts to portray Delay as a political victim aim "to undermine the case against him in the press, because that's how he maintains his party's support," he said.

Meanwhile, DeLay has said he hadn't known key facts that have come out concerning important issues in the allegations.

For instance, the Texas Republican says he wasn't aware that the Korea-United States Exchange Council had registered as a foreign agent three days before he traveled to South Korea at the group's expense in August 2001. Lawmakers are barred from accepting trips from foreign agents.

"When the invitation was extended and the trip planned, they were not registered" as an agent of South Korea, DeLay spokesman Dan Allen said.

Last year, he told the House ethics committee he didn't recall having conversations about an energy bill with energy company executives who attended a DeLay golf fundraising event in 2002.

That contradicted the account of two executives.

The committee said subsequent documents backed the executives, and the panel said DeLay created "an appearance that donors were being provided special access to you regarding the then-pending energy legislation."

In Texas, a state criminal investigation is under way into the fundraising practices of Texans for a Republican Majority. DeLay helped start the group and has raised money for it.

Democrats also question whether DeLay made decisions on legislation because of his relationship with Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who represented gambling interests and Indian tribes who own casinos. Abramoff is under federal investigation.

DeLay's defense: If his name came up with Abramoff's clients it wasn't his own doing.

"What I can tell you is that if anybody is trading on my name to get clients or to make money, that is wrong and they should stop it immediately," DeLay said.

[Last modified March 25, 2005, 01:01:16]