During an interview on FOX News Channel on Wednesday, President Bush was asked if he thought DeLay was innocent. The President responded "yes I do" immediately putting the White House on the defensive.

From the Washington Post [1]:

"'The president of the United States said a jury does not need to assemble, that Tom DeLay is innocent,' said Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). 'To have someone of his stature, the president of the United States, prejudge a case is something I've never seen before.'"

"'The president was asked a question and he responded to that question in the interview yesterday, and made very clear what his views were,' McClellan said. 'We don't typically tend to get into discussing legal matters of that nature, but in this instance, the president chose to respond to it. Our policy regarding the Fitzgerald investigation and ongoing legal proceeding is well-known and it remains changed.'

"'Call it a presidential prerogative,' he added.”