Nobody cares about Sanders because he is an eccentric left wing kook who is not in leadership. Sanders ain't gonna afford any protective cover for DeLay.
It will in the mind of the public. You can't make the case that DeLay can't pay his wife and daughter (the latter actually having a firm that does this for others besides DeLay) but Sanders can. Maybe not official Washington, but this has already gotten to the "dogged by ethics accusations" part of the smear. They've got to find another 2-year-old revelation or it will all peter out.
I'm tired of the "everybody does it!" defense. Hang 'em all.