WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Tom DeLay, the US House majority leader, was charged on Wednesday in his home state of Texas with one count of criminal conspiracy, and he announced subsequently that he would "temporarily step aside" as the Republican majority leader in the House.

¡¡¡¡DeLay, 58, retained his seat in the House of Representatives representing Texas' 22nd congressional district, in the suburbs southwest of Houston.

    The action on Wednesday originated from a plan that DeLay helped set in motion in 2001 to help Republicans win control of the Texas House in the 2002 elections.

    In a statement, DeLay said the indictment was "one of the weakest, most baseless indictments in American history."

    He said the indictment was "personal revenge" for the role he played in the Texas Republican legislative campaign in 2002 and his "advocacy for a new, fair and constitutional congressional map" for the state in 2003.

    "In accordance with the rules of the House Republican Conference, I will temporarily step aside as floor leader in order to win exoneration from these baseless charges," he said.

    A most powerful Republican member in the House, DeLay has been the center of an ethics swirl in Washington. Last year, the 11-term congressman was admonished by the House ethics committee on three separate issues.

    He was also the center of a political storm this year over payment of his and other lawmakers' trips abroad by lobbyists.

    At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan declined to comment on the charge and said President George W. Bush still considered DeLay a "good ally."

    "Congressman Delay is a good ally, a leader who we have worked closely with to get things done for the American people," he said.

    "I think that the president's view is that we need to let the legal process work," he said.

    Democrats hailed the move on Wednesday. "The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom Delay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Enditem