DeLay turns down plea deal, opts to fight 2 felony charges

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Texas prosecutor offered Rep. Tom DeLay a deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and save his job as majority leader, but DeLay chose to fight felony charges instead, the congressman's attorney said Monday.
Dick DeGuerin, DeLay's lawyer, described the offer in a letter to the prosecutor as he filed motions in Austin, Texas, to dismiss felony indictments and -- barring dismissal of the case -- to seek a speedy trial.
Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle had no immediate comment.
DeLay, R-Texas, has been indicted on conspiracy and money-laundering charges, both of which are felonies, in a Texas campaign finance investigation. He was obligated to step aside -- at least temporarily -- under House Republican rules.
"Before the first indictment you tried to coerce a guilty plea from Tom DeLay for a misdemeanor, stating the alternative was indictment for a felony which would require his stepping down as majority leader of the United States House of Representatives," DeGuerin wrote Earle.
"He turned you down flat so you had him indicted, in spite of advice from others in your office that Tom DeLay had not committed any crime," the lawyer wrote.
DeLay and two political associates are accused of using corporate money to finance the campaigns of Texas Republican candidates for the state Legislature. Texas law prohibits corporate political donations in state political campaigns.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.