The powerful U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday named former Republican majority leader Tom DeLay to the panel seat formerly held by Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned from Congress in December after pleading guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges.

DeLay, under indictment in Texas for allegedly violating that state's campaign laws and being probed for his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, also was given a seat on a subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department.

Cunningham was on the committee and chairman of its Defense Subcommittee until he resigned from the 50th Congressional District seat representing most of North County in November after admitting he took more than $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and others.

DeLay won't be on the Defense Subcommittee, but will have seats on the Homeland Security and the Science and Departments of State, Justice and Commerce subcommittees, Appropriations Committee spokesman John Scofield said.

The Houston-area Republican was a member of the Appropriations Committee for 17 years until being elevated to majority leader in 2003. By tradition, lawmakers in leadership positions resign their committee assignments.

Democrats and one watchdog group expressed outrage after the appointment was announced.

"Why not just skip the middleman and give the seat directly to Jack Abramoff?" said Kate Bedingfield, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Campaign Committee in Washington

Keith Ashdown, spokesman for the Washington-based Taxpayers for Common Sense, said he was incredulous.

"He is absolutely the last person that should have been appointed to that committee," Ashdown said in a telephone interview. "I know his record pretty well, and it has solely been about padding the pockets of his cronies and his favorite local projects.

"This is the guy who last year said all the waste in government has been cut. It's the shortest fall from grace I've ever seen."

There was no immediate response from DeLay's congressional office on the appointment.

Republican Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Carl Forti said the criticisms from Democratic circles amounted to hypocrisy because that party has done nothing about New Orleans Democrat William Jefferson, the target of an ongoing federal bribery investigation.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.