Texans for Public Justice, a nonprofit group that has been critical of indicted Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), has been cleared in an Internal Revenue Service probe that was requested by one of DeLay's allies, The Washington Post reports.

The IRS probe was requested by Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas), who sits on the House Ways and Means Committee. He had received complaints from Barnaby W. Zall, a Washington lawyer close to DeLay, but none were substantiated by the IRS.

Texans for Public Justice, accused DeLay of injecting corporate money into state elections in violation of state law. A Texas county prosecutor later indicted DeLay on similar charges.

The group has since filed a complaint against Republican activist Ralph Reed, accusing him of lobbying against tribes in Texas without following the state's lobbying laws. Reed is an ally of DeLay and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The group also has sought to tie a former aide to former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) to the Abramoff scandal. But lobbying records show Brian Drapeaux, who was once employed at Abramoff's firm, wasn't part of the team.

Get the Story:
Texas Nonprofit Is Cleared After GOP-Prompted Audit (The Washington Post 2/27)
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Relevant Links:
Texans for Public Justice - http://www.tpj.org
Rep. Tom DeLay - http://tomdelay.house.gov

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