POLITICS: House Majority Leader Tom Delay Indicted

I guess if DeLay gets off this one, (with so many big guns ready to bail him out)

His next step will be this want.

On several occasions during the 1990s, DeLay implored fellow lawmakers to resort to impeachment of disobedient judges, and conveniently defined the offense as "whatever a majority of the House of Representatives consider it to be." Critics termed DeLay's interpretation of law "callous" and a "passing fantasy."

He may very well become the next "Supreme Judge and Executor of the Law"

This story is moving into some interesting territory.

www.nationalreview.com...

For the last two years, as he pursued the investigation that led to Wednesday's indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Travis County, Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle has given a film crew "extraordinary access" to make a motion picture about his work on the case.

While this might not lend creedence to his public support, the article does state this:

"We approached him [Earle], and he offered us extraordinary access to him and, to an extent, to his staff," Birnbaum told National Review Online Thursday. "We've been shooting for about two years."

Well at least it wasn't his idea....

"...the Republican paymaster, one of the authors of the K Street Project and the driving force behind a vicious, organised demonisation and attempted marginalisation of Democrats that for sheer, unabashed political animus is unlike anything else witnessed in an advanced democracy."

That's the Texas style!

There are going to be reverberations felt from this far and away, ringing some bells. In case you weren't in on the con, here's an interesting commentary which reflects aspects of the Euro attitude to DeLay's alleged shenanigans, and the greater role within the American Neo-'conservative' movement.

Something stinks in America

As a leading Republican prepares to face corruption charges, the fallout will be felt as far afield as Westminster

Will Hutton
Sunday October 2, 2005
The Observer
...the right-wing wind that has blown across the Atlantic for nearly a generation is about to ease. Hypocrisies have been exposed. The discourse in British politics is set to change.

The story begins in the murky world of campaign finance and the grey area of quasi-corruption, kickbacks and personal favours that now define the American political system. American politicians need ever more cash to fight their political campaigns and gerrymander their constituencies, so creating the political truth that incumbents rarely lose. US corporations are the consistent suppliers of the necessary dollars and Republican politicians increasingly are the principal beneficiaries. Complicated rules exist to try to ensure the relationship between companies and politicians is as much at arm's length as possible; the charge against DeLay is that he drove a coach and horses through the rules.

...

DeLay's ambition was to construct such a disciplined Republican party that lobbyists would not need Democrats, and so create an inside track in which the only greased palms from legislators to lobbyists would be Republican.

...

Corporations get their rewards. The oil and gas industry now gives 80 per cent of its campaign cash to Republicans (20 years ago, the split was roughly 50-50), and influence on this year's energy bill was a classic sting. American petrol can now contain a suspected carcinogen; operators of US natural-gas wells can contaminate water aquifers to improve the yields from the wells; the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is open to oil exploration - concessions all created by DeLay's inside track.

And he's loaded the congress with them too when he redistricted Texas. And we watched it happen, as did the DA who knew it was a crime.

Now we're gonna see justice done Texas style. But you brits might want to still hang onto your hats.

Delay has now been indicted on an additional charge of money laundering. This looks like a story that will keep growing.

How long will his defenders keep defending?

[edit on 3-10-2005 by df1]

Here's an oldie but goodie I just found digging around on the dirt on Harriet:

Published on Monday, December 18, 2000
Was the Fix In?
New White House Counsel Accused of Favoritism for Cheney's Halliburton


Halliburton's pet cause has been the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court. The firm and its executives have made 55 contributions, totaling $44,000, since 1993, according to records of Texans for Public Justice.

...

Brown & Root and Dresser Industries, two of Halliburton's largest Texas-based divisions, added another $35,600 in Supreme Court donations. Combined contributions from the three company branches would rank Halliburton second among all corporate donors to the Texas Supreme Court races during the past three election cycles.

...

"They've methodically flooded the Supreme Court with money at the same time they've had cases pending before the court,"

...

...case reached the high court on July 26, 1999, and was disposed of Dec. 2. During that period, Halliburton executives made four contributions - $1,000 to Justice Priscilla Owen; two totaling $3,000 to Justice Alberto Gonzales; and $1,000 to Justice Nathan Hecht.

"I think, in general, it's just hard for anybody in that position to totally take out of their minds the money of the people supporting their campaigns,"

Kinda puts me to mind of that old song... "How Long, Has This Been Going On?"

I'm sure Earle knows... Deep implications for Cheney and Gonzo, eh?

somehow, Margaret Thatcher has been brought into all this too...

Shortened Link

[edit on 3-10-2005 by RANT]

Itsn’t that how the whole issue got started looking into records of DeLay travels to Europe and who pay for the trips.

This actually getting better that I expected.

Wait this is all in Texas, will they fry him for this? They fry people for jaywalking why not this?(Kidding, you have to at least steal a candy bar to be fried, jay walking is just feet smashed with hammer)

Watching the news, and Fox, so sad to see the propaganda/lies. "Tom Delay broke Texas Law XXXXXXX. This is a X Felnoy with punishment of X years and a fine of XXX."

While on Fox News.... "What Delay did is not a crime in Oklahoma, Ohio, West Virginia, and other states." "But it is a crime in Texas where he did it." "Liberal media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look the liberal was arressted for speaking out against Bush! Uh, look Katrina happened a few weeks ago, uh, look at this story! Pay no attention to Delay! Or Rove, Frist, Noe, or all the other republicans currently under investigation/indicted/in court."

While here on ATSNN you have people with the truth and people defending Delay. So sad that people are so blinded by politics. He broke the law he needs to be punished! When Bill didn't commit a crime he was impeached! Yet a guy commits a crime, is indicted, and they still defend him! Why can't people vote/believe in the ones who want to do good instead of following the evil blindly? Yes democrats have evil to, Billary, the Largest of the Kennedy's, so forth, and people do follow them blindly, but the followers of Bush&Co is sad. These people commit crimes out in the open and are still defended. At least the democrats were disgusted with Bill's actions when the truth came out, they didn't bow down before him and continue worshipping him, thus ending Clinton's power, Bill Clinton's anyways. The man in that relationship is still in power.

Originally posted by deluded
Nicely Done Nerdling! Now I just need for Rush Limbaugh to get Syphilus or Leprosy of the genitalia and I am all set!

Rush is already a drug addict so he's covered.

Originally posted by dawnstar
somehow, Margaret Thatcher has been brought into all this too...

Shortened Link

Dawnstar, he was putting the moves on her. 70-yo lady HAD to donate, but she was breaking no law.

Yea, gotta follow some brit news to see what that testimony will be, what their meeting about.

This scandal's bringing down many House of Cards.

[edit on 3-10-2005 by RANT]

changing his story??


DeLay Indictment: The Hammer Searches for an Alibi

"After a second indictment on the charge of money laundering by a Texas grand jury this week, a Houston newspaper is reporting that Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) has changed his story about his involvement in illegal campaign finance transactions.

Early in the investigation, the former House Majority Leader told Travis County Prosecutor Ronnie Earle that he knew about a $190,000 donation from his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC) to the Republican National Committee (RNC). The $190,000 was turned over in September 2002 with the request that the RNC make non-corporate donations to several Texas Republican candidates.

It would have been illegal to give the $190,000 to the Texas Republicans as several corporations had donated the money. The Texas grand jury has already indicted DeLay and two other TRMPAC officials on criminal charges for conspiring to use corporate donations to finance political campaigns illegally. The new indictment says that DeLay laundered the additional $190,000 to try to skirt this law.

Claiming he "misspoke," DeLay told ultra right radio personality Rush Limbaugh earlier this week that he tried to changed his story about knowing about the $190,000, but that the prosecutor wouldn't let him. "



www.politicalaffairs.net...

The DeLay case is starting to smell rotten at every turn and the whole Republican including the Ethics commitee had been for months trying to changes rules to protect DeLay.

No only money has been collected from the ethics commitee members for DeLay for his legal defense.

Then you have to give it to DeLay he paid them and paid them good.

They even removed Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO) who chaired the committee when it delivered several ethics rebukes to DeLay for campaign improprieties.

Now Representative "Doc" Hastings appears to be unilaterally and without authority overturning the decision of the committee.

This can only be interpreted as an unethical attempt to influence that matter before it has come up for consideration.

The Seattle Times reported this past week that Hastings' campaign took almost $6,000 from a PAC controlled by DeLay in the 1990s.

The whole DeLay team are as deep in bs as he is.

Here's a good one for the legal monkeys. The author, John Dean, was Nixon's lawyer when Watergate happened:

June 25-29, 1973 John Dean implicates Nixon ...
Audio Listen to Dean recalling a Presidential congratulation for the cover-up. ...
www.msnbc.com...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Case Against Tom DeLay:
What has Happened to Grand Jury Secrecy in Texas?
By John W. Dean
Findlaw

Friday 07 October 2005

What is one to make of the criminal charges against Tom DeLay?

I spoke with several knowledgeable Texas lawyers, of both parties, about the case against DeLay; they were willing to speak, but only off-the-record. Or, as one put it, "Who in hell wants to get in the middle of a fight between a polecat and a skunk?"

(I don't like unidentified sources. But I will use them in this column, only because they are sharing nothing more their expertise, no inside information. They were offering their professional "speculation," if you will.)

There is no speculation, however, by the grand jurors who have spoken out in this case; they are familiar with the evidence prosecutors must have adduced, before them, to convince them to indict. And what they are saying appears dangerously close to breaking their oaths of secrecy.

...

When I asked two Texas attorneys who have been following the case in the news, as well as on their respective local grapevines (but neither has insider information), I got a unanimous opinion that Earle's second indictment was timely. As one put it, "The reason DeLay is pissed is that Earle moved faster than they thought he could. He found a spanking new grand jury, and he had a new indictment within hours. That suggests to me that Ronnie Earle has some good evidence."

...

This attorney said he had watched DeLay contradict himself [Referring to the fund-raising] on "Hardball," and then, apparently, lie about never having been requested to appear before the grand jury.

Grand juries can't talk and there are no defense attorneys present either--just the DA, the jury, judge (to keep them in line and give instruction), and the witness.

Dean knows coverups and ends his excellent view:

this reporting is also very close to the reporting described by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in All The President's Men - reporting that came very close to landing the reporters in jail, for grand jury secrecy rules apply to the press, as well as grand jurors.

...[some crap about Miers]

Both the prosecution and the defense are better off trying Tom DeLay's case in a courtroom, not in the news media. And it should be thrilling.

Dean should know about media too, he was all over it in the 70's. Watergate was wild for tv coverage.