WASHINGTON — A Texas prosecutor who gained the indictments of three associates of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, says his investigation of illegal corporate campaign contributions and money laundering will continue and that "We're following the truth ... wherever that leads."

But in an interview that will be aired tonight on CBS' "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., Ch. 7), Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle repeatedly skirted questions about whether DeLay might face prosecution. And during a related civil trial in Austin last week, DeLay's name came up repeatedly, but no evidence was presented that the GOP leader had done anything wrong.

CBS' 12-minute segment, called "The D.A. and Tom DeLay," has been anxiously awaited by Republicans since correspondent Lesley Stahl asked DeLay questions about the investigation during a Capitol Hill news conference in January on tsunami relief.

DeLay has been unable to escape media attention over his ethics problems and the Texas criminal and civil cases alleging wrongdoing by a political-action committee he helped to create.

"Right now, it's not a top-tier sort of thing, but more of a shake-your-head kind of thing," a Republican strategist said. "At some point, though, members may get tired of hearing about it back in their districts."

Three top political associates of DeLay were indicted by a Texas grand jury in September on charges of illegally raising political money from corporations in 2002, much of which was funneled into the Republican takeover of the Texas Legislature. Corporate contributions to state legislative candidates would be illegal in Texas.

Those charged were DeLay political associate Jim Ellis, fund-raiser Warren RoBold and John Colyandro, executive director of DeLay's political-action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC). Colyandro and Ellis also were indicted on charges of money laundering.

Earle, an Austin-based Democrat and a former member of the Texas House, has been ambiguous about whether DeLay is a target. DeLay and other Republicans have described the two-year investigation as a partisan vendetta.

"This is not about Democrats and Republicans," Earle told CBS in December. "This is about cops and robbers. This is about the abuse of power."

DeLay's problems have mounted. In October, the House ethics committee admonished him for the third time for misconduct. Recent disclosures show that DeLay traveled overseas with Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist who is facing criminal and federal investigations for his multimillion-dollar billings to Indian tribes that needed favors from the government. According to House records, the trips were paid for by a nonprofit, the National Center for Public Policy Research, on whose board Abramoff sat.

But DeLay, 57, said recently that he is not worried. "All that sort of stuff that goes on doesn't sway me from my goal and my focus," he said. "It doesn't throw us off stride."

Certainly there was little said in testimony during last week's civil trial that could harm him. That case was brought against Bill Ceverha, treasurer of TRMPAC, by five Democrats who said they lost their legislative races because the political-action committee illegally raised and spent corporate campaign funds against them.

The trial opened Monday with DeLay's name front and center. But by the close of the trial Friday, testimony showed DeLay's direct role in TRMPAC's successful bid to win the Republican takeover of the Texas House was mostly that of a figurehead and a casual adviser early on.

Colyandro said Ellis came up with the idea for the committee and discussed it with him in mid-2001. Colyandro is a veteran political consultant with deep ties to the Republican Party in Texas and nationwide. Ellis is executive director of DeLay's national political-action committee in Washington, called Americans for a Republican Majority.

In a video deposition played Wednesday by Ceverha's defense attorneys, Colyandro said Texans for a Republican Majority "was modeled only in passing" after Americans for a Republican Majority. He said he and Ellis named an advisory board that included DeLay, then-Texas Railroad Commissioner Tony Garza (now U.S. ambassador to Mexico), and Ceverha.

Colyandro said he did not remember speaking to DeLay during the formative stages of TRMPAC. But after TRMPAC's "official launch" in early fall 2001, Colyandro said, "I had one or two conference calls with DeLay," which he said involved a "general discussion of what the organization would be and what he hoped to accomplish."

Ceverha's attorney, Terry Scarborough, said during closing arguments there was no evidence presented to show that DeLay had created TRMPAC.

But Cris Feldman, attorney for the plaintiffs, remained steadfast that TRMPAC was formed and advised by DeLay. He said many exhibits showed "that Tom DeLay, at his direction, had his operatives come down here and set up Texans for a Republican Majority. Heck, Jim Ellis was in The New York Times saying 'I set this up for Tom DeLay.' I don't know what the question is about it."

The judge is not expected to rule for several weeks.