Tom DeLay's seamless shameful loop linking industry, lobbyists and war chests

HoustonChronicle.com - Nothing wrong?

First came the grand jury investigation. The Travis County district attorney is trying to find out whether House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority spent corporate funds to gain control of the Texas House.

Then came Rep. Chris Bell's complaint to the U.S. House ethics committee. The Houston Democrat alleges DeLay's PAC and the Republican National Committee exchanged checks for $190,000, thus trading restricted corporate cash for unrestricted donations.

Now comes news of the links joining DeLay, Marc Racicot and the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. The railroad has given to DeLay's PAC. Racicot, President Bush's campaign chairman, is a director on Burlington's board and was GOP national chairman at the time of the exchanged checks.

The railroad wants to build a controversial line in the Clear Lake area. The same Houston-based law firm that represented Burlington in Washington represents DeLay during this investigation-prone period.

Of course, everything is coincidental. But many Houstonians might not like to have their representation in the nation's Capitol quite so shaped by corporate cash and influence peddling.

el - Houston Chronicle board with strong GOP leanings is deeply divided over DeLay.