WASHINGTON -- Succumbing to scandal, former Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday he will resign from Congress in the face of a tough re-election race, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled political style.\n"I have no fear whatsoever about any investigation into me or my personal or professional activities," DeLay said in a statement to constituents. At the same time, he said, "I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative, personal campaign."\nHe said the voters of his Houston-area district "deserve a campaign about the vital national issues that they care most about ... and not a campaign focused solely as a referendum on me."\nDeLay relinquished the post as House majority leader last fall after his indictment in Texas as part of an investigation into the allegedly illegal use of funds for state legislative races. He decided in January against trying to get the leadership post back as an election-year corruption scandal staggered Republicans and emboldened minority Democrats.\nLast week, former DeLay aide Tony Rudy pleaded guilty to conspiring with lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others to corrupt public officials, and he promised to help the broad federal investigation of bribery and lobbying fraud that already has resulted in three convictions.\nNeither Rudy, Abramoff nor anyone else connected with the investigation has publicly accused DeLay of breaking the law, but Rudy confessed that he had taken actions while working in the majority leader's office that were illegal. DeLay has consistently denied any wrongdoing.\nSen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a major player in congressional investigations of Abramoff and the lobbyist's involvement with Indian tribes, said Tuesday that he respects DeLay's decision to step down, and added, "I think there are other aspects of the Abramoff scandal that will be unfolding in the weeks ahead."\nMcCain spoke to reporters following a speech to a Hispanic conference.\nPresident Bush said Tuesday that DeLay had informed him of his decision Monday afternoon.
"I wish him all the best," Bush told reporters during a brief White House session, adding, "It had to have been a very difficult decision for someone who loved representing his district in the state of Texas."\nBush said the Republican Party won't suffer from DeLay's decision to resign from Congress. "My own judgment is that our party will continue to succeed because we are the party of ideas."\nDeLay, an 11-term Texas lawmaker who turns 59 on Saturday, said he would make his resignation effective sometime before mid-June but contingent on the congressional calendar.\n"He has served our nation with integrity and honor," said Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who succeeded DeLay in his leadership post earlier this year.\nBut Democrats said the developments marked more than the end to one man's career in Congress.\n"Tom Delay's announcement is just the beginning of the reckoning of the Republican culture of corruption that has gripped Washington for too long," said Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee. "From DeLay to Scooter Libby to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to Duke Cunningham, to Bob Ney, to David Safavian, the list of goes on and on."\nDeLay portrayed his decision to resign as a fatal blow for the fortunes of his opponent, Democrat Nick Lampson, who has garnered national attention -- and financial support.\n"As difficult as this decision has been for me, it's not going to be a great day for liberal Democrats, either," DeLay said. "My loyalty to the Republican Party, indeed my love for the Republican Party, has played no small part in this decision."\nLast month, DeLay capped a triumph in a contested GOP primary with a vow to win re-election.\nIt was not clear whether Texas Gov. Rick Perry would call a special election to fill out the unexpired portion of DeLay's term, or whether the seat would remain vacant until it is filled in November.\nEither way, DeLay's concern about the potential loss of a Houston-area seat long in Republican hands reflected a deeper worry among GOP strategists. After a dozen years in the majority, they face a strong challenge from Democrats this fall, at a time when President Bush's public support is sagging, and when the Abramoff scandal has helped send congressional approval ratings tumbling.
