Posted on 09/28/2005 10:52:59 AM PDT by kellynla
A Travis County grand jury today indicted U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on one count of criminal conspiracy, prompting the Sugar Land Republican to give up his leadership post in Congress.
"I have notified (House Speaker Dennis Hastert) 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.
The charge, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years incarceration, stems from his role with his political committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, a now-defunct organization that already had been indicted on charges of illegally using corporate money during the 2002 legislative elections.
The grand jury, however, took no action against Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, Texas Association of Business President Bill Hammond or state Reps. Dianne Delisi and Beverly Woolley, both of whom sit on the political committee's board, for their roles in the election.
The grand jury's term ended today.
Delay's defense team will hold a news conference in Austin later this afternoon. The team includes defense attorneys Bill White and Steve Brittain of Austin and Dick DeGuerin of Houston.
"It's a skunky indictment. It stinks to high heaven," White said.
DeLay and his associates insisted the corporate money was legally spent on committee overhead or issue advertising and not campaign-related activity.
An indictment does not force DeLay to resign as a member of Congress, but the GOP's rules demand that he resign his post as majority leader as he fights the charges. Congressional Republicans earlier tried to drop that requirement, citing Earle's investigation as a political vendetta, but they ultimately maintained the rule after withering criticism.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
As a former Texan (please Texans help me out here), I know that Ronnie Earle, the dim DA in liberal Travis County - been there for 18-20 years I believe - has traditionally used his office to file spurious charges against pub pols - mostly they end up amounting to nothing. Just fishing, trying to make trouble etc.
As the DA of the county that contains the state capital, Earle has way too much power and he abuses it.
Me too.
In this case, we probably shouldn't take any chances, so let's just string him up and then we'll wait and see if he really did it....
/sarc?
Hopefully this will be trial by jury,not trial by msm.
If he is guilty, he should do the time. If he is innocent, the media should lay off.
That's not brutally honest - just sensible. I don't think anyone would argue with your statement.
I meant RA. Apologies.
If he's guilty, go to jail. If the person who indicted had no legitimate, credible evidence, he should be held to answer and face charges.
...let the chips fall where they may and we'll learn the truth. I suspect this is going to be a Raymond "Can You Tell Me Where to Pick Up My Reputation" Donovan witch hunt by a RAT prosecutor...I've always wondered how RATs escape the political process?
Like DeLay said about Kay Bailey Hutchison, the charges may be dropped...
After all, you can "indict" a ham sandwich! LOL
Appears the TX Chicken RATS been waiting for this since 2001 when they ran for cover because they didn't want a quorum in the state legislature to plan redistricting, and they blamed their problems on DeLay then.
Payback is painful. DeLay almost singlehandedly locked in the Republican majority in Congess by his redistricting effort in Texas. This is sour grapes for the Dems. More chicken-sh*tted stuff rather competing on the issues.
DeLay is a strongwilled, go for the jugular Republican not a weak-kneed appologetic Republican. That makes him a target.
Drier is a better face for the Republicans anyway. He'll win more votes.
"Hillary and her associates insisted the corporate money was legally spent on committee overhead or issue advertising and not campaign-related activity."
who here would say it was anything but legal parsing of words and distortion?
Why don't you wait until the trial before you throw him to the wolves. It's incredibly easy to get a Grand Jury indictment. Look at Earle's success (none) in these partisan witch hunts and then tell me you believe DeLay will be convicted. I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts he'll be acquitted. Meantime the MSM will have a field day with this.
Here is to Danny Rostenkowski, Jimmy Traficant and Congressman G.Studds of Cape Cod.
Your point is well-taken, but I hold to a classical definition of Law formulated by Thomas Aquinas: "an ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by him who has the care of the community."
Only in as much as a law truly reflects the common good and is promulgated by a just authority is it truly a law, that is, morally binding. Martin Luther King, Jr quoted this definition of law. Just because it is a law on the books does not mean that it is just. Hence, simply because it is on the books does not mean that it should be obeyed. Only in as much as a human law comports with natural law, it is just.
Now, I do not know the nature of this law. I tend to dislike campaign finance law all-together, unless it simply restricts money coming in from out of the state in the case of state elections.
My main point is to clarify that a law that genuinely promotes the common good is morally obliging whereas one that does not promote the common good is not morally obliging and is only called a law because it resembles law superficially.
I'm more confident since he stepped down.
He doesn't appear to be hiding, and he isn't putting himself before the party.
Unlike numerous other politicians time won't allow me to name...
Oh yes, David Drier is a great conservative...
Sheesh, do I need to say ((sarcasm))??
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