Tom DeLay is denying earlier reports that he has taken steps to deal with the possibility of being indicted by a Travis County grand jury in its investigation of TRM/TAB (see here).
“If the law is the standard in the state of Texas, then we have no problems and we don’t anticipate a problem,” DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said emphatically during a news conference in Washington.
“I have not been notified that I am being investigated; I have not been subpoenaed,” he said.
Targets of grand jury investigations aren’t always notified, however.
The Houston Chronicle reported last week that DeLay had told a group of Houston supporters March 8 that he may need to raise more money for a legal defense fund. There also have been reports in Washington that DeLay has discussed with some House Republicans a GOP conference rule that requires party leaders to step aside if they are indicted on a felony punishable by at least two years in prison. DeLay is the second-highest-ranking Republican in the House.
“All the reports are wrong. The reports in Washington are particularly wrong,” DeLay said. Speculation that he would consider stepping aside is “ridiculous,” he added.
DeLay acknowledged that during a recent meeting with financial supporters in Houston, he discussed what he called a political witch hunt by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat. DeLay denied there were discussions about a legal defense fund for this case.
“None of that happened,” DeLay said. “I don’t have a transcript of everything that I said. Obviously, somebody sitting in that room — even though he gives me money, does not exactly support me — ran quickly to the Houston Chronicle. I don’t know what he said, and I really don’t care what he said.”
I’m not quite sure what he meant by that first sentence; as I understand it, the point of the earlier speculation was that Republican Party rules require a temporary abdication of leadership positions for someone who’s under indictment. That has nothing to do with Texas law. DeLay is clearly saying that he doesn’t expect to be indicted, and he may well be right, but that seems a bit tangential to the subject.
Anyway. New grand jury is in next week, and things ought to pick up from there.