Rick Perry On Tom DeLay Ruling: 'I Always Thought The Democrats Had A Witch Hunt Against' Him

Hours after a court threw out a 2010 felony money laundering conviction against former House Majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) weighed in on the news.

In an interview with the Washington Times published Thursday, Perry pointed a finger at Democrats for the years of trouble DeLay faced, accusing the party of using the "prosecutors and the courts to gain their ends."

“I always thought the Democrats had a witch hunt against Tom, and I said so from the beginning,” Perry told the paper.

According to the Associated Press, DeLay's conviction was tossed by the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence. He was accused of illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate donations to legislative races where that money is illegal.

"The fundamental problem with the State's case was its failure to prove proceeds of criminal activity," the court wrote, according to the AP.

DeLay served for 11 terms in Congress from 1984-2006, including his final two as Majority Leader. He stepped down as majority leader in Sept. 2005 after being indicted in the money laundering case, announced his full resignation from Congress in April 2006 and delivered his final address in June of that year, CNN adds.