Washington ? A Texas Democrat who saw his political career halted by the maneuverings of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and other Republicans filed multiple complaints with the House ethics committee Tuesday, accusing DeLay of “serious criminal acts.”

DeLay, R-Texas, said the charges levied by Rep. Chris Bell had no substance and were the product of a disgruntled lawmaker who “is very bitter about his losing the primary and he is using the ethics committee to express his bitterness.”

Bell, at a news conference, said he had been preparing his complaints long before his March defeat in the Democratic primary, a result mainly of redistricting brought about by DeLay and his GOP allies in the Texas Legislature.

Bell’s term will end when Congress completes its current session.

“Nothing about this complaint is going to bring back my seat,” Bell said. “The only thing I have to gain,” he said, “is the wrath of Tom DeLay.”

Bell made three complaints to the ethics committee:

• That DeLay illegally solicited and accepted political contributions from Kansas-based Westar Energy Corp. in return for legislative favors. Westar executives, lobbying for a provision in a major energy bill, in 2002 contributed $58,200 to various campaigns and political action committees, including $25,000 to DeLay’s PAC, Texans for a Republican Majority.
• That the same political action committee in September 2002 sent $190,000 in corporate funds to the Republican National Committee “in an apparent money-laundering scheme” intended to provide funds for GOP candidates to the Texas state legislature.
• That in 2003, when the Texas legislature was battling over the GOP plan to carry out redistricting that could gain Republicans five or so more seats in the House, DeLay abused his office to urge federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, to track down Democrats who had left Austin to prevent Republicans from getting a quorum to vote on the plan.

DeLay said that the charges were “all based on press clippings and it’s nothing new.”

The ethics committee, or Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, has five legislative days or 14 calendar days to determine whether the complaint meets criteria for being considered.