DeLame

More dirty laundry:

Rep. Tom DeLay failed to comply with House requirements that he disclose all contributions to a defense fund that pays his legal bills, the Texas Republican acknowledged to House officials.

He wrote officials that $20,850 contributed in 2000 and 2001 was not reported anywhere. Another $17,300 was included in the defense fund's quarterly report but not in DeLay's 2000 annual financial disclosure report -- a separate requirement.

Other donations were understated as totaling $2,800, when the figure should have been $4,450.

Tom's opting for the "I reported on myself" defense for this:

"I brought this matter -- which I discovered on my own -- to the attention of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to alert the chairman and ranking member. Upon learning of these accounting irregularities, I immediately requested that the trust undergo a full and complete audit from its June 2000 inception through 2004 to determine if any additional accountancy problems existed with the trust."

Well, Tom, I'll give you a gold star...but you're still a crook.