D.A. accuses business group and GOP of hindering DeLay investigation

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle accused the Texas Association of Business on Friday of using stall tactics to distract his investigation into activities of the association and the Republican Party during the 2002 elections.

The investigation by the Travis County District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit first focused on the Texas Association of Business' use of corporate money to buy ads during the 2002 election.

The investigation has since broadened and now includes a probe into whether $152,000 in payments to Texas House candidates in 2002 from a political action committee created by Texas Republican U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay violated state law.

Earle released a similar batch of papers less than a month ago following a request from Tina Benkiser, chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party. She had asked for papers related to contacts between Earle's office and news reporters.

The papers released Friday included campaign finance reports, subpoenas for grand jury witnesses, date calendars from Earle's office, and correspondence between Earle's office and the media, as well as between Earle's office and the defeated Democratic candidates.

Earle said the papers show no contacts between his office and the local or national Democratic Party.