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Tom DeLay
Former U.S. House Majority Leader (R-TX-22)
House Majority Leader known as "The Hammer" who was convicted of money laundering for funneling corporate donations to Texas state candidates through a PAC
Overview
Thomas Dale DeLay served as U.S. House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2006 and was known as "The Hammer" for his aggressive tactics enforcing party discipline. DeLay was intimately connected to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, taking multiple golf trips to Scotland and the Mariana Islands funded by Abramoff's clients. DeLay's former aide Michael Scanlon was Abramoff's business partner in defrauding Native American tribes. DeLay was admonished three times by the House Ethics Committee. In 2005, a Texas grand jury indicted DeLay for criminal conspiracy and money laundering related to a scheme to funnel $190,000 in corporate donations through the Republican National Committee's "soft money" account to Texas state legislative candidates through his PAC, Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC). Texas law prohibited direct corporate contributions to candidates. DeLay was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 3 years in prison, but the conviction was overturned on appeal in 2013 on sufficiency of evidence grounds. The redistricting that DeLay engineered after his Texas candidates won resulted in Republicans gaining 6 additional U.S. House seats.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Indicted for money laundering - funneled $190K in corporate donations to Texas candidates
Convicted in 2010; overturned on appeal in 2013
Admonished 3 times by House Ethics Committee
Close ties to Jack Abramoff; accepted lobbyist-funded trips to Scotland and Saipan
Engineered mid-decade Texas redistricting for partisan gain
Former aide Michael Scanlon was Abramoff's fraud partner
Related Investigations (1)
Criminal Charges & Violations
2 documented violations
TX Penal Code 34.02Money laundering - funneling corporate contributions through RNC to Texas candidates (convicted, overturned on appeal)(state)
TX Penal Code 15.02Criminal conspiracy to violate election code (convicted, overturned on appeal)(state)
Known Associates & Connections
Jack Abramoff
Lobbyist who provided DeLay with funded trips; corruption scandal
Michael Scanlon
Former DeLay aide; Abramoff's partner in tribal fraud
Sources & Documentation
1 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- April 8, 1947
- Birthplace
- Laredo, Texas
- Also Known As
- The Hammer
Education
- •University of Houston (B.S.)
Key Timeline
2003-01
Becomes House Majority Leader
2003
Engineers unprecedented mid-decade Texas redistricting
2004
Admonished by House Ethics Committee for third time
2005-09-28
Indicted by Texas grand jury; forced to step down as Leader
2006-06-09
Resigns from Congress
2010-11-24
Convicted of money laundering; sentenced to 3 years
2013-09-19
Conviction overturned by Texas Third Court of Appeals