US: Tom DeLay, one of the most powerful figures in Washington, has become the first political casualty of the scandal surrounding former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, plunging congressional Republicans into a month-long leadership battle.
On Saturday Mr DeLay abandoned his bid to regain the post of House majority leader, which he gave up temporarily to face money laundering and electoral fraud charges in Texas. His decision followed Mr Abramoff's guilty pleas last week on corruption charges and the launch of a petition by House Republicans seeking new leadership.
"During my time in Congress, I have always acted in an ethical manner within the rules of our body and the laws of our land," Mr DeLay said in a letter to fellow Republicans. He was stepping down permanently as House majority leader because he did not want to allow "our adversaries to divide and distract our attention".
Democratic congressional leader Nancy Pelosi dismissed the significance of the announcement, claiming Republicans remained in thrall to special interests.
"For years, at the expense of the American people, the House Republicans have enabled and benefited from the Republican culture of corruption engineered by Tom DeLay. The culture of corruption is so pervasive . . . that a single person stepping down is not nearly enough to clean up the Republican Congress," she said.
Republicans are expected to choose a new leader when they return to Capitol Hill on January 31st but the race to succeed Mr DeLay began immediately. Missouri's Roy Blunt and Ohio's John Boehner have both made clear that they will seek the leadership.
Some Republicans fear their chances of holding their seats in November's mid-term elections will suffer unless a new leadership signals a clean break with Mr DeLay's legacy.
A former pest exterminator, Mr DeLay owed his rise through the Republican leadership to his spectacular success in raising campaign funds for congressional candidates. As Republican whip and later as majority leader, the Texan known as "the hammer" was brutally effective in maintaining party discipline and pushing through legislation.
By 2004, however, he was alarming ethical watchdogs in Congress, and critics claimed that he ran a "pay-to-play" system that guaranteed legislation helpful to corporate donors in exchange for large cash contributions to republican campaigns.
Mr DeLay's troubles became serious three months ago when he was charged with violating Texas electoral law and laundering illegal donations through a Republican organisation.
Mr DeLay once described Mr Abramoff as "one of my closest and dearest friends" but he denies any corrupt relationship.Michael Scanlon, Mr DeLay's former spokesman, who went on to work with Mr Abramoff, pleaded guilty last November to conspiracy to bribe public officials and also promised to co-operate with prosecutors. In court papers Mr Scanlon said he had once paid $50,000 to the wife of another former aide of Mr DeLay to help suppress legislation opposed by his clients.
Republicans hope to shore up support among conservative voters with the confirmation of Samuel Alito, President Bush's nominee to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor on the supreme court.
Mr Alito's hearings before the Senate judiciary committee start in Washington today and Democrats have warned they could block the nomination with a filibuster unless the judge answers questions on abortion, presidential war powers and other issues.