AP: DeLay, Blunt Traded Secret Donations

[usregimechange]

WASHINGTON - Tom DeLay deliberately raised more money than he
needed to throw parties at the 2000 presidential convention, then
diverted some of the excess funds to longtime ally Roy Blunt through
a series of donations that benefited both men's causes.

When the financial carousel stopped, DeLay's private charity, the
consulting firm that employed DeLay's wife and the Missouri campaign
of Blunt's son all ended up with money, according to campaign
documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay
fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into
the picture...

The government's former chief election enforcement lawyer said the
Blunt and DeLay transactions are similar to the Texas case and raise
questions that should be investigated regarding whether donors were
deceived or the true destination of their money was concealed.

"These people clearly like using middlemen for their transactions,"
said Lawrence Noble. "It seems to be a pattern with DeLay funneling
money to different groups, at least to obscure, if not cover, the
original source," said Noble, who was the Federal Election
Commission's chief lawyer for 13 years, including in 2000 when the
transactions occurred.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051006/ap_on_go_co/delay_money_carousel