Tom DeLay, Disgraced Congressman,Joins Unsavory Company: Top Five Political Scandals in the Past Five Years

A Texas Court overturned the conviction of former House of Representative majority leader Tom DeLay in a money laundering case dating back to the 2002 elections. DeLay was charged with illegally diverting corporate money via the Republican National Party to local Texas races. That scandal - which resulted in an indictment in 2005, a forced resignation in 2006, and a conviction in 2010 - seems to finally be behind the former Congressman, because "The evidence was legally insufficient to sustain DeLay's convictions," according to the Texas 3^rd Court of Appeals, in Austin.

DeLay represents one of several prominent politicians to be tarred and feathered by their moral shortcomings in recent years. Here are some notable others:

Mark Sanford (Governor, South Carolina)

In June of 2009, Governor Mark Sanford disappeared. His whereabouts were unknown for six days, and campaign staffers told media that he was "hiking the Appalachian trail." In reality, Sanford was in Buenos Aires, Argentina with his mistress. Following his return, Sanford finished out his term as governor. He now serves as a congressman for South Carolina's  1^st congressional district.

Rod Blagojevich (Governor, Illinois)

In 2008, Senator Barack Obama was elected President, vacating a seat in the Illinois legislature for Governor Blagojevich to fill. Blagojevich used that opportunity to solicit bribes, demanding up to half a million dollars in exchange for the Senate appointment. In 2011, Blagojevich was found guilty of multiple offenses related to the scandal, and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Anthony Weiner (Congressman, New York) 

In the late spring of 2011, Congressman Anthony Weiner got caught up in a sexting scandal for sending sexually explicit images to women over Twitter. A married man, Weiner originally denied sending the message before finally admitting wrongdoing and resigning in late June. During a run for mayor in New York City, further pictures came out, tanking his chances of winning the keys to the city.

Eliot Spitzer (Governor, New York)

In the spring of 2008, the New York Times ran a story that Governor Spitzer had solicited Emperors Club VIP, a high-end prostitution ring based out of New York City. Days later, Spitzer resigned in disgrace. He recently lost a Democratic primary for comptroller of New York City.

Ted Stevens (Senator, Alaska)

Senator Stevens was entrenched in Alaskan politics when the FBI and IRS investigated the politician on hundreds of thousands of dollars of home remodeling that he had done for him below cost. Stevens was found guilty in late October of 2008, and lost his seat a week later after 40 years in office. Charges were later overturned, and Stevens died in a plane crash in 2010.