Bradley to Return DeLay Campaign Funds
By Anthony Bertuca and Kathleen D. Tobin
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28- New Hampshire Rep. Jeb Bradley said Wednesday that he will return $15,000 in campaign funds from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s political action committee in the wake of the Texas Republican’s indictment for criminal conspiracy to violate the state’s campaign financing law.
The indictment by a Texas grand jury involves corporate contributions to an arm of the Republican National Committee, with the money going ultimately to Republican candidates for the Texas legislature.
The money Bradley said he would return came from DeLay’s leadership political action committee, which does not figure in the indictment. Leadership political action committees are organizations controlled by a politician for the purpose of donating money to other members of their party.
“Today’s indictment specifically concerns Rep. DeLay’s state of Texas political action committee, TRMPAC [Texans for a Republican Majority],” Bradley said in a statement to the Union Leader. “His federal election PAC, ARMPAC [Americans for a Republican Majority], which has contributed to my campaign, is not under investigation. However, to remove any questions that may arise about his contributions, I will be returning these funds from his federal PAC.”
Since his first House campaign, in 2002, Bradley has received $15,000 from ARMPAC.
Rep. Charles Bass will keep the $7,500 he received from ARMPAC in 2000 because that committee is not under investigation, said Scott Tranchemontagne, a campaign spokesman for Bass.
“Those contributions were spent,” he said. “Unless new evidence emerges that ARMPAC was in violation, the Bass Victory Committee will keep those funds.”
Under House GOP rules, DeLay has stepped down at least temporarily as majority leader.
Earlier this year, both Bass and Bradley voted against changes in House Republican Conference rules that would have allowed members of the leadership to remain in their positions if indicted.
“Congressman DeLay has stepped down from his position as majority leader in response to an indictment,” Bass said in a press release. “I believe the rules are appropriate, and their application is justified in this instance.”
New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu also received $10,000 in 2002 from DeLay’s committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Sununu was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
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