by TChris

Tom DeLay incurred legal bills last year of $370,000 -- an impressive figure for a man who hasn't yet been indicted.

The fees were divided among lawyers in Washington and Mr. DeLay's home state of Texas, where he is facing scrutiny by a grand jury in Austin over his role in the creation and management of Texans for a Republican Majority, the political action committee that he helped establish in 2001. The committee has been accused of funneling illegal corporate donations to state Republican candidates in the 2002 elections.

The bills were paid by the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust with funds donated by (among others) Republican members of Congress and corporations. The corporate donors include two businesses that contributed to Texans for a Republican Majority.

Among the corporate donors to the defense fund is Bacardi U.S.A., the Florida-based rum maker, which has also been indicted in the Texas investigation, and Reliant Energy, another major contributor to a Texas political action committee formed by Mr. DeLay that is the focus of the criminal inquiry. Groups seeking an overhaul of Congressional ethics rules have long complained that companies might seek the favor of powerful lawmakers by contributing to their legal defense funds.

Other corporate donors include Coors Brewing, Exxon Mobil, Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Bell South, and AMR, the parent company of American Airlines.