Top > World > 2005 > October > 2005-10-22

Warrant Issued For DeLay Arrest

A Texas court issues an arrest warrant Wednesday for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and set his bail at $10,000 in what was described as a routine step before his first court appearance on conspiracy and state money laundering charges.

Some DeLay supporters are expressing outrage to find out that state district Judge Bob Perkins of Travis County, who presides over the DeLay case and issued the warrant, is a donor to the Democratic party and left-wing organizations such as MoveOn, which spent millions on advertisements against President George W. Bush and Republicans in last fall`s election campaign.

Mr. DeLay remains a member of Congress for the moment, but he relinquished his leadership post last month after being indicted on a charge of conspiring to violate state campaign finance laws. The congressman contends the charges are politically motivated and that he will be vindicated at trial, though questions will surely arise anyway of a fair trial thanks to the political inclinations of the judge.