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LISA LERER
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), who resigned under scandal, says politics has been "criminalized."
"The criminalization of politics is nastier," he said on CNN's "State of the Union". "It used to be you just ruin someone's reputation. Now, they want to put you in jail and bankrupt you and destroy your family."
DeLay's legal case is still weaving through the Texas appeals courts, four years after his indictment.
But he says his problems stem from the House ethics committee, which he argues prematurely condemns lawmakers in the media by publicly releasing letters of admonishment.
"It destroys your due process," he said. "It's a warning letter...but now it's used as a sanction."
