down for the count

that tom delay is dirtier than dirt mcgirt (rest his soul)!

and now indiana congressman chris chocola (called "the count" by snarky bloggers... get it? count chocola?) has gotten all messy too.

Tom DeLay's political group used nearly $100,000 in corporate and unlimited donations to mail last-minute political appeals praising five congressional candidates despite rules meant to keep such money out of federal races, documents released Thursday show.

The records also detail payments DeLay's group made to Jim Ellis and Warren Robold, two longtime fundraisers indicted in Texas in the same state campaign finance case as DeLay. All three men say they are innocent in that case.

The documents from the Federal Election Commission's audit of DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority PAC (ARMPAC) were obtained by Political Money Line, a group that studies campaign fundraising.

They show DeLay's ARMPAC sent money from its so-called soft-money account before the November 2002 election to pay for mailings for such candidates as Indiana Republican Chris Chocola, who won election to the House that year.

An ARMPAC mailing to gun-owning voters in Chocola's race for an open congressional seat praised him as someone who "will protect the sporting traditions that Indiana sportsmen have passed on. For future generations to continue to enjoy our heritage, we need the leadership of Chris Chocola."

note that this is unrelated to the ronnie earle investigation against delay, which has led to indictments against delay. yes, the charges do sound virtually identical, but it's a totally different PAC. it would seem delay runs all his PACs the same way... to hell with the law, soft money for everbody!¶