Rep. Tom DeLay appeared in an Austin, Texas, court Friday for the first time since his indictment, but his arraignment on conspiracy and money laundering charges was delayed pending a hearing on his request for a new judge in the politically charged case.
DeLay, who has stepped aside, at least for the time being, as House majority leader, did not speak during the brief court session and was not called on to make a plea. But at a news conference shortly afterward, he attacked the prosecutor in the case as politically motivated and said, “I will absolutely be exonerated.”
