Democrat Refuses to produce data sought by Delay

by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
AUSTIN —

The chairman of the Texas Democratic Party today rejected a subpoena asking him to provide five years of fund-raising materials in connection with the criminal case against former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Charles Soechting, the state chairman, said he would attend, as ordered, a court hearing Tuesday to decide whether a Democratic judge should remain on DeLay's case. But, he will not bring the documents requested by DeLay's attorney Bill White unless ordered by the court.
White issued the subpoena on Thursday, asking Soechting for mail-outs, brochures, e-mails and other requests seeking Democratic support and donations "particularly, but not limited to, materials that mention Tom DeLay, or Texas redistricting, or the Texas Legislative races of 2002."

DeLay, who is charged with criminal conspiracy and money laundering, has asked that state district Judge Bob Perkins be removed from the case because of multiple contributions he made to Democratic candidates and causes since 2000. His attorneys argue that Perkins is too much of a Democrat to give the powerful Republican a fair trial.

Soechting, who may testify at Tuesday's hearing before senior judge C.W. Duncan, said he objected to White's request because it was "overly broad, unduly burdensome, and not likely to lead to relevant and admissible evidence."

Prosecutors allege that DeLay and his associates funneled restricted corporate money through a Texas political action committee founded by DeLay to an arm of the Republican National Committee, which sent it back to seven GOP candidates running for the Texas Legislature in 2002. Texas law prohibits corporate money from being used directly in political campaigns.