BLT:

The U.S. Department of Justice cannot categorically refuse to release documents about the FBI’s investigation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled Tuesday.

The FBI never acknowledged it was investigating DeLay in connection with the public corruption scandal involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In 2010, however, DeLay announced the Justice Department told him it would not file criminal charges. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information on the investigation.