J$P Instant Transcript! Tom DeLay's first interview since his decision not to seek reelection as majority leader.

From Weekend Live, January 8 2006:

BRIAN WILSON [FOX NEWS]: Joining me from Houston Texas, the man at the center of this story, Congressman Tom DeLay. Congressman, thanks for joining us; appreciate you being here on our broadcast.

TOM DELAY: My pleasure, Brian.

WILSON: Look, you said you did nothing improper, illegal, nothing immoral, nothing unethical. Why, then, give up the fight?

DELAY: Well I'm not giving up the fight. As you know, Brian, Republicans, not the Democrats, have a rule that says that if you're indicted, you need to step aside from your leadership position. The Republicans have that rule. Democrats promised that rule a year ago and they still haven't done it. And because of that rule, the Democrats used this runaway District Attorney here in Austin, Texas, to abuse that rule. Eight grand juries, indicted me, and the only reason to indict me is to get me to step aside. That's still ongoing and, frankly, we've got such a bold agenda that we've been working on for 11 years. We need to continue that agenda, and I need to step aside so that we can bring in a good, strong leadership team to drive an agenda this year and keep our focus on the big picture.

WILSON: I understand about the rule and all that, but many people had looked at the situation and thought that you had until about February 1st or so to try to resolve your legal issues in the state of Texas. Which, by the way, some legal analysts believe you might prevail in that matter. So why give up now? What was the straw that broke the camel's back and forced you to come to the conclusion that you could not reclaim your leadership post?

DELAY: Time. Time was the enemy. I realize that, the way things work within our conference, we need to have a leadership race right now. Have the election sometime at the end of January, get it over with, so that we can go to work in February and have our team in place and get after an aggressive, bold agenda. Every day that went by undermined the ability to do that. I realized that it was better for me to just step aside and get that done and move forward.

WILSON: You said just a moment ago that you suspect that this was the real reason you were indicted, that the Democrats wanted you out of the role of majority leader.

DELAY: That's the only reason, Brian.

WILSON: So does that mean, then, that whether or not Mr Ronnie Earle, the Democratic District Attorney from Travis County prevails on the points of law against you, he has in a sense won, hasn't he?

DELAY: Well he's won this battle, that's for sure. But I mean, I have been indicted, Brian, on laws that didn't exist at the time. In fact a judge has already thrown out one of the indictments because the law didn't exist at the time this was supposed to happen. These are frivolous, baseless charges. The only reason that I am indicted right now is because of the Republican rule that forces you to step aside as leader. It's a political strategy and right now it's working for them. But in the end they're going to lose. And this whole strategy of character assassination, to hide the fact that Democrats don't have an agenda, is going to fail. Because the Republicans have a bold, aggressive agenda to protect this nation, to bring prosperity to families, and to protect families in America. And we're going to continue that agenda and they can't cover it up.

WILSON: Can I ask you about Jack Abramoff? Because, as you know, he has cut a deal with prosecutors. We keep hearing in all of the reporting on this that Jack Abramoff was an associate of yours. Some people say he was very close to members on your staff. What was your relationship with Jack Abramoff.

DELAY: Well I consider Jack a friend, as I consider many lobbyists friends. Our relationship was no different than any relationship I've had with any other lobbyist in Washington DC. The key here, Brian, is that Abramoff evidently broke the law, because he admitted guilt. And people are trying, particularly my political opponents, are trying to put that guilt by association on me. The point is, I am not being investigated. I am not the target of an investigation. Everything that I do, because I know the Democrats are looking for a way to charge me, everything I do is cleared by the ethics committee or cleared by lawyers. And so there is nothing there, and everybody knows that. But we just need to focus on our agenda and get moving, and do what the American people sent us to Washington to do.

WILSON: The Speaker of the House says it's time to look at whether we change the rules regarding the way that lobbyists and lawmakers interact in the House of Representatives. Is it time for those changes in your mind?

DELAY: We changed the rules in 1995, frankly, and they're working. Jack Abramoff and Mike Scanlon abused the system. They have been caught, and they have been convicted and have plead guilty. Obviously the system is working. Look, the American people, we should never remove the ability for the American people to petition their government. Yes, we should have a lot of transparency. People should know who I work with, and how money flows for campaigns and all of that. Transparency is really important. But we--

WILSON: If it comes down to Boehner or Blunt, do you have a choice?

DELAY: They're both good guys. I don't think I should be involved in this leadership race. I have a secret ballot and I'm going to vote that secret ballot.

WILSON: Congressman Tom Delay, thank you very much for joining us. We greatly appreciate it.

DELAY: My pleasure, Brian.