DeLay Indicted

[PanTheMan]

DeLay indicted in campaign finance probe
House majority leader to step down, 2 associates also face charges

The Associated Press
Updated: 3:33 p.m. ET Sept. 28, 2005


WASHINGTON - A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, forcing the House majority leader to temporarily relinquish his post. A defiant DeLay insisted he was innocent and called the prosecutor a “partisan fanatic.”

“I have done nothing wrong ... I am innocent,” DeLay told a Capitol Hill news conference in which he criticized the Texas prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, repeatedly. DeLay called Earle a “unabashed partisan zealot,” and “fanatic,” and described the charges as “one of the weakest and most baseless indictments in American history.”

DeLay, 58, was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay’s national political committee.

In Austin, Texas, Earle told reporters, “Our job is to prosecute abuses of power and to bring those abuses to the public.”

DeLay is the first House leader to be indicted while in office in at least a century, according to congressional historians.

“I have notified the speaker that I will temporarily step aside from my position as majority leader pursuant to rules of the House Republican Conference and the actions of the Travis County district attorney today,” DeLay said in a statement.

GOP congressional officials said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., will recommend that Rep. David Dreier of California step into those duties. Some of the duties may go to the GOP whip, Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri. The Republican rank and file may meet as early as Wednesday night to act on Hastert’s recommendation.

Blunt said he was confident DeLay would be cleared of the allegations and return to his leadership job. "Unfortunately, Tom DeLay's effectiveness as Majority Leader is the best explanation for what happened in Texas today," Blunt said.


Up to two years, $10,000 fine
Criminal conspiracy is a state felony punishable by six months to two years in a state jail and a fine of up to $10,000. The potential two-year sentence forces DeLay to step down under House Republican rules.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the president still considers DeLay a friend and effective leader in Congress.

“Congressman DeLay is a good ally, a leader who we have worked closely with to get things done for the American people,” McClellan said. “I think the president’s view is that we need to let the legal process work.”

The indictment puts the Republicans — who control the White House, Senate and House — on the defensive. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., also is fending off questions of ethical improprieties. Federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into Frist's sale of stock in HCA Inc., the hospital operating company founded by his family.

Less than a week ago, a former White House official was arrested in the investigation of Jack Abramoff, a high-powered lobbyist and fundraiser.

The indictment accused DeLay of a conspiracy to “knowingly make a political contribution” in violation of Texas law outlawing corporate contributions. It alleged that DeLay’s Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee accepted $155,000 from companies, including Sears Roebuck, and placed the money in an account.

The PAC then wrote a $190,000 check to an arm of the Republican National Committee and provided the committee a document with the names of Texas State House candidates and the amounts they were supposed to received in donations.

The indictment included a copy of the check.

“The defendants entered into an agreement with each other or with TRMPAC (Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee) to make a political contribution in violation of the Texas election code,” says the four-page indictment. “The contribution was made directly to the Republican National Committee within 60 days of a general election.”

'Political retribution'
The indictment against the second-ranking, and most assertive Republican leader came on the final day of the grand jury’s term. It followed earlier indictments of a state political action committee founded by DeLay and three of his political associates.

Kevin Madden, DeLay’s spokesman, dismissed the charge as politically motivated.

“This indictment is nothing more than prosecutorial retribution by a partisan Democrat,” Madden said, referring to Earle, a Democrat.

Madden later added: “They could not get Tom DeLay at the polls. They could not get Mr. DeLay on the House floor. Now they’re trying to get him into the courtroom. This is not going to detract from the Republican agenda.”

The grand jury action is expected to have immediate consequences in the House, where DeLay is largely responsible for winning passage of the Republican legislative program. House Republican Party rules require leaders who are indicted to temporarily step aside from their leadership posts.


Democrats stay on the case
Democrats have kept up a crescendo of criticism of DeLay's ethics, citing three times last year that the House ethics committee admonished DeLay for his conduct.

"The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom Delay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Democratic chairman Howard Dean cited the problems of DeLay, Frist and Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff at the center of questions about the leak of a CIA operative's name.

"The Republican leadership in Washington is now spending more time answering questions about ethical misconduct than doing the people's business," Dean said.

At the White House, McClellan bristled at a question about Democratic claims that Republicans have grown arrogant in their use of power and flaunt rules after years of controlling the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.

McClellan said the Republican Party has made policy that has improved the lives of Americans, and the White House stands by that record.

"We can sit here and try to rush to judgment, but I don't think that's a fair thing to do," McClellan said. "We need to let the legal process work."

DeLay retains his seat representing Texas’ 22nd congressional district, suburbs southwest of Houston. He denies that he committed any crime.

As a sign of loyalty to DeLay after the grand jury returned indictments against three of his associates, House Republicans last November repealed a rule requiring any of their leaders to step aside if indicted. The rule was reinstituted in January after lawmakers returned to Washington from the holidays fearing the repeal might create a backlash from voters.

Ethical baggage
DeLay is the center of an ethics swirl in Washington. The 11-term congressman was admonished last year by the House ethics committee on three separate issues and is the center of a political storm this year over lobbyists paying his and other lawmakers’ tabs for expensive travel abroad.

Wednesday’s indictment stems from a plan DeLay helped set in motion in 2001 to help Republicans win control of the Texas House in the 2002 elections for the first time since Reconstruction.

A state political action committee he created, Texans for a Republican Majority, was indicted earlier this month on charges of accepting corporate contributions for use in state legislative races. Texas law prohibits corporate money from being used to advocate the election or defeat of candidates; it is allowed only for administrative expenses.

With GOP control of the Texas legislature, DeLay then engineered a redistricting plan that enabled the GOP take six Texas seats in the U.S. House away from Democrats — including one lawmaker switching parties — in 2004 and build its majority in Congress.

[PanTheMan]

For those REPUBLICANS screaming "They are out to get him" Look up "GRAND JURY" and see what it involves. A GJ is made up a Regular people, not Politicians out to fry someone. So let DeLay cry 'Witch-hunt' all he wants.

This has been a long time coming.

But alas, When GW Bush goes to leave office in '08 I'm sure pardons will be flying once again to the likes of DeLay and ENRON execs...

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Frist and DeLay aren't the only two in trouble. Just last week, this occurred.

The Bush administration's top federal procurement official resigned Friday and was arrested yesterday, accused of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with the federal government. It was the first criminal complaint filed against a government official in the ongoing corruption probe related to Abramoff's activities in Washington.

The complaint, filed by the FBI, alleges that David H. Safavian, 38, a White House procurement official involved until last week in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, made repeated false statements to government officials and investigators about a golf trip with Abramoff to Scotland in 2002.

It also contends that he concealed his efforts to help Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in the Washington area. Abramoff is the person identified as "Lobbyist A" in a 13-page affidavit unsealed in court, according to sources knowledgeable about the probe.

Until his resignation on the day the criminal complaint against him was signed, Safavian was the top administrator at the federal procurement office in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he set purchasing policy for the entire government.

Interesting times.

Note: I originally had a link and quote here from an op-ed piece. I replaced it with something a little less opinionated. Well, unless you believe in media bias. Hi Leo.

[scaeagles]

Of course they (democrats) are out to get him. Of course the Republicans were out to get Clinton. Of course (insert any political name and/or party here) are out to get (insert any political name and/or party here).

It is the nature of politics. If you choose to make yourself a target by how you conduct your political affairs, then you better have your house utterly above reproach and completely in order, and watch what you say with unceasing diligence.

If DeLay deserves to be convicted, then so be it.

When scandals and such hit, I have found the level of outrage and/or support is directly related to the dislike/support of the politician (and his politics) in question. So it was with Clinton (whether the Monica ordeal or buddhist fund raising or whatever), Byrd (saying the "N" word a couple times in an interview), Lott (praising....Strom Thurmond), Rostenkowski (and the House post office scandal), McCain (wife addicted to drugs), Rush (pain killer addiction and the attempts to find grounds for indictment)......the list is endless. I don't pay mind to much of them, because, well, they are ALL political in nature.

[MickeyLumbo]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Of course they (democrats) are out to get him. Of course the Republicans were out to get Clinton. Of course (insert any political name and/or party here) are out to get (insert any political name and/or party here).

what does one have to do to get a spanking around here?


i'm out to get a democrat and screw him good.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Of course they (democrats) are out to get him. Of course the Republicans were out to get Clinton. Of course (insert any political name and/or party here) are out to get (insert any political name and/or party here).

It is the nature of politics.

I quote myself from an earlier post in this thread because I wanted to show that I completely agree with GC and Ism aboutthis point. Politics is a dirty, dirty game, and to expect it to not be played in such a way is certainly naive.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

That's not the whole enchilada though, scaeagles. It is easy to say that it is all political, but there are also laws in question here. Laws that DeLay may have felt (unless proven innocent, of course) that he was above. People in government should not be above the law though. And I do pay attention when the members of this, or any administration, break the law. That's not "just politics".

One can complain about what spurred the investigation and argue that it is politically motivated. But, just as was the case with Clinton, nobody forces you lie or break the law. Once you have crossed the line, you have to be held accountable.

[scaeagles]

Of course, MBC, which is why in my post I said "If Delay deserves to be convicted, so be it."

I have done some looking around about Earle. I see a lot of similarities between this and a case he brought against KB Hutchison (Republican Senator from Texas) shortly after she was elected. She was also indicted by a grand jury, but the case was eventually dropped (there are all sorts of opinions from everyone as to why). She had just taken the spot occupied by Lloyd Bentsen, who was appointed Secretary of the Treasury (she best the person that Ann Richards had put in the spot vacated by Bentsen, I believe). It was a democrat strategy to try to hurt her politically early on and perhaps induce someone like Richards to run against her ithe next time she was up for reelection. The dems were not happy about losing the seat.

Similarly, with all the negative press about DeLay (note I did not say undeserved), I think they view him as vulnerable in the next election.

Now....does any of this mean that he didn't do it? No. But I think there are clear political motivations. From what I have read, the patterns are clear. There are those that say, though, that Earle has prosecuted more Dems than Republicans, and plenty of others that say the exact opposite. Who knows.

Again, if he's guilty, convict him.

[scaeagles]

One other thing about Mr. Earle that I think is particularly relevant - note the part I put in bold as particularly telling:

Self-inflicted wound (Ronnie Earle investigates Tom DeLay and fund raises using DeLay)
Houston Chronicle ^ | May 20, 2005 | Editorial

District attorney's poor judgment in speaking at a Democratic fund-raiser provides an unintended boost for DeLay's defenders.

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has spent the past year investigating corporate funds collected by political action committees connected to U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. So far, a grand jury has indicted three of the Sugar Land representative's associates for violating Texas election laws.

Republicans have accused the veteran prosecutor, a Democrat, of conducting a partisan witch hunt. Earle's attendance and remarks attacking DeLay at a Democratic fund-raiser last week in Dallas damaged the credibility of his investigation with a stunning display of prosecutorial impropriety.

Earle was the speaker at a May 12 event sponsored by the newly created Texas Values in Action Coalition, a Democratic political action committee with the stated goal of winning back control of the Texas Legislature. The affair raised more than $100,000, and organizers credited Earle's presence with boosting attendance.

In his speech, the prosecutor talked about the corporate contribution case and took a swipe at DeLay. "This case is not just about Tom DeLay," Earle told the crowd. "If it isn't this Tom DeLay, it'll be another one, just like one bully replaces the one before."

Contacted after the event by the Chronicle's Michael Hedges, Earle didn't back off his comments. He provided a transcript of the speech, and said he would make the same statements again to any group that was interested in honest government.

Houston defense attorney Rusty Hardin represents Warren RoBold, a Republican fund-raiser indicted in the Travis County investigation. Hardin, a former Harris County prosecutor, finds it "incomprehensible" that Earle would go to a political event and discuss matters under investigation by his office. "I'm dumbfounded that he would give the DeLay people that kind of fodder."

Hardin doesn't believe that Earle's investigation is motivated by a bias against Republicans. Instead, he contends that the Austin-area district attorney goes after targets for behavior he finds objectionable, whether or not an actual violation of law occurred.

According to Hardin, he told Earle in a courtroom conversation that "you have a history of indicting people whose conduct you don't approve of and you want to stop. You leave it to your assistants to worry whether there's a criminal case involved."

Earle is an elected Democrat, so his attending a party fund-raiser is legal. However, it is inappropriate for a prosecutor to discuss a case under investigation in a political setting, or to single out a potential target of that probe for criticism.

The fact that Earle refuses to recognize his blunder and would do it again calls into question whether he has the necessary impartiality and judgment to conduct the investigation that to a great extent will determine whether Texas election campaigns will be financed and perhaps determined by corporations or by individuals.

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

There are those that say, though, that Earle has prosecuted more Dems than Republicans

Yep

Originally Posted by scaeagles

and plenty of others that say the exact opposite.

Who would these "others" be?