Texas District Judge Pat Priest upheld the money laundering charges against DeLay today, but dismissed the conspiracy charges.  DeLay has denied any money laundering in the case involving his Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (TRMPAC) and tried to spin the case as a Democratic plot to remove him from power because of his success in advancing a conservative political agenda.

DeLay and colleagues Jim Ellis and John Colyandro are accused of laundering $190,000 in corporate donations to TRMPAC through the RNC for distribution to Republican candidates to the Texas Legislature in the 2002 state campaign. Texas law forbids the use of corporate money in political campaigns.The illegal donations from TRMPAC to Texas congressional candidates helped the Republican party take control of the Texas state legislature in 2002.

After the Republicans illegally took control of the Texas legislature, with help from DeLay, the legislature then redrew congressional districts to increase the number of Republicans elected to Congress from Texas.

This is strikingly similar to the motive of the K Street Project run by DeLay and Santorum.  The purpose of the Republican run K Street project is to inject staunch Republicans into the most influential lobbying firms in the US.  So far it is working, but is it ethical?  In a word no. 

Is it aginst the law? Despite being admonished for it by the Ethics Committee in 1999, lets see if the Committee has any backbone to follow up since DeLay has been at it again.  Stay tuned.