AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — An attorney for former U.S. House Majority
Leader Tom DeLay told an appeals court Wednesday that the
onetime GOP heavyweight's efforts to influence Texas elections
may have been distasteful but weren't illegal.  DeLay, 65, was
found guilty in November 2010 of money laundering and conspiracy
to commit money laundering. He was sentenced to three years in
prison, but that was put on hold while his case was appealed.  A
prosecutor with the Travis County District Attorney's Office
told the 3rd Court of Appeals Wednesday that the former Houston-
area congressman did violate Texas law when his political action
committee funneled corporate donations to Texas candidates in
2002. Under state law, corporate money cannot be given directly
to political campaigns.  Attorneys for both sides spent about an
hour presenting their arguments to a three-judge panel of the
appeals court. The court will issue a ruling at a later date.
DeLay, who once held the No. 2 job in the House of
Representatives, did not a