Posted on 09/21/2013 4:28:21 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
The man they called “the Hammer,” who used Democrats as anvils, got a little satisfaction Thursday. An appeals court in Texas reversed the money-laundering conviction of Tom DeLay and told him to go and sin no more.
Time and events move quickly in the modern media, and a new crime of the century arrives with the noise of every news cycle. The final acquittal of Tom DeLay, who was once the Republican majority leader in the House, is but a footnote to the news. He was once the most feared man on Capitol Hill, merciless in pursuit, and like all successful politicians, blinded by partisanship when the occasion called for the skills of a blind partisan.
He was convicted three years ago on state charges of devising a scheme to send $190,000 in corporate campaign contributions to seven Texas candidates for the Texas House of Representatives, who were needed to redraw congressional districts for Republican advantage. Such contributions are against the law, but money, as Mr. DeLay knew, is “fungible.” He arranged to send the money to the Republican National Committee, which is not against the law, with the understanding that the committee would send 190,000 other dollars to Texas. That was not against the law, either.
If this smells funny to the high-minded and unlettered in the dark arts of politics, the prosecution of Mr. DeLay, 66, by an ambitious political hack in Austin gave off the whiff of authentic rot. The appeals court said the prosecutor, Ronnie Earle, “failed in [the] burden to prove that the funds that were delivered to the seven candidates were ever tainted.”
The hack who started it all is retired now at 71, a footnote himself. He was briefly touted for governor after the DeLay verdict, but settled for a run for lieutenant
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay talks to reporters as he leaves a lunch meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, in Washington. A Texas appeals court tossed the criminal conviction of DeLay on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, saying there was insufficient evidence for a jury in 2010 to have found him guilty of illegally funneling money to Republican candidates.
I never really liked DeLay for other reasons, but this charge and kangaroo court trial was completely bogus. Earl should be brought up on official misconduct charges and put away for the rest of his natural life.
Seems to me that the rino elite wanted him gone and let the bogus charges stand.
How many of the Climate of Corruption cases are gone now?
Stevens, DeLay,...weren’t there some others?
I wish we still had DeLay and not the crybaby.
You won’t hear this in the msm as they are ignoring it. It impugns the honesty and integrity of Austin’s sainted Democrat DA Ronnie Earle. If you can’t beat a Republican at the ballot box then go grand jury shopping in Austin and trump up a charge. Same thing happened to Sen Ted Stevens of Alaska. His conviction was reversed due to “gross prosecutorial misconduct”. Stevens died shortly after in a plane crash so nobody cares or even remembers.
DeLay was a schmuck bought and paid for by the criminals at Enron, together with Phil Gramm. Being GOP does not make one a conservative...
It is a blessing to be rid of these theiving bozos.
The excerpt refers to the “final acquittal of Tom DeLay” but I think I read that the prosecutor is contemplating an appeal of this decision.
The prosecution generally can’t appeal a jury’s verdict of acquittal but here the jury convicted. IIRC the prosecution can appeal under these circumstances.
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