Former Republican majority leader Tom DeLay is to leave politics in the face of mounting legal problems and a tough re-election campaign.
Twelve years after helping Republicans win control of the House of Representatives, the former majority leader, long called "The Hammer" for his hardball political tactics, intends to announce he is ending his bid for another term and will leave Congress as early as next month, party aides said.
Democratic Party spokeswoman
Mr DeLay (58) informed his staff and House Republican leaders of his decision yesterday- at about the same time he discussed his plans in an interview with Timemagazine.
"I'm going to announce tomorrow that I'm not running for reelection and that I'm going to leave Congress," Mr DeLay told the magazine, which posted the interview on its website. "I'm very much at peace with it."
The magazine said Mr DeLay, who pushed much of Mr Bush's agenda through Congress, also notified the president, who had been one of his most ardent backers.
Timequoted Mr DeLay as saying he had been prepared to battle for another term, but decided after months of prayer to spare his district what promised to be a tough and personal contest.
Mr DeLay, who was rebuked by the House ethics committee on three separate matters in 2004, stepped down as House majority leader in September after being indicted in Texas on campaign finance charges.
Separately, a second one of Mr DeLay's former aides pleaded guilty last week in the widening Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and agreed to co-operate with federal prosecutors.
Mr Abramoff has also been co-operating in the inquiry into whether members of Congress gave his clients favourable treatment in exchange for campaign contributions, Super Bowl tickets and other gifts.
Mr DeLay has denied any wrongdoing and predicted that he would be vindicated.
"Tom DeLay's announcement is just the beginning of the reckoning of the Republican culture of corruption that has gripped Washington for too long," a Democratic Party spokeswoman said.