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 ...
To be honest, all that ever makes the news is low time plea bargains. Anyone can have a high convictuiin rate if the give cases away.
Raymond Donovan had the misfortune of being indicted during the Reagan administration, back when you were at the mercy of the very few talking heads who reached the sheeple at dinner time.
He asked the famous question: Where do I go to get my reputaion back?
If Tom Delay is innocent, he has an army of friends who can fight for him and at least have a chance to be heard.
I know the defense attorneys, and it is not going to be a slam dunk for Ronnie.
It's a tough call. In a nation such as ours where unjust laws can be opposed and overturned through ordinary political action, disobedience requires more than simply a personal determination that a law is unjust. It must be egregiously unjust, so harmful that the damage to the rule of law caused by disobedience is less. Further I would argue that the disobedience be effective.
I heard it reported that this was the sixth grand jury investigation on DeLay in the last 2 years.
"The team includes defense attorneys Bill White and Steve Brittain of Austin and Dick DeGuerin of Houston. "
Let me tell you something. These guys are better than the O.J. "Dream Team". Ronnie Earl has almost zero chance of winning this.
"DeLay will be totally cleared, but the MSM will barely mention that part."
Preston Tucker was totally cleared; meanwhile his car, his company and his heart failed, victims of yet other wicked men.
Thanks and thanks! FR is my school!
You have very valuable knowledge and I appreciate your insight. Are you by chance an attorney or counselor at law?
"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."
All part of the plan to get DeLay on phony charges. The Democraps can't get him legally, so they use abuse of presecutorial power to sideline him--but only for now. The last day of the grandjury the Dem just couldn't let it go without some trumped up charge. The Dems must be totally destroyed.
You hit the nail on the head, if I were in trouble, guilty or not, I would call Dick and his brother Mike. Percy Formann trained those young men right.
That and two well known Austin Attorneys makes that one tough team to go against.
Most folks here know Earle and his tricks. He's a DA in the only blue-voting county in Texas, and he's had a vendetta out for Delay for YEARS. I suggest looking back a few posts in this thread for the link to the NRO article about how Earle trading favors for political donations--and laughed about it.
The stooge also supports the NRST.
That fraudulent "reform" proposal is all the evidence I need to convict him and make him share a jail cell with Jim Traficant.
Earle knows this--and the awfuly truth is...he won just by getting the indictment. He's not interested in a trial.
Wait till you see the new House Maj Leader...
Delay is being railroaded....
Agreed
Check the about page. If you have any other questions I will answer.
I checked yours and there was not an entry.
If you believe all politicians are all honest and guilty of nothing, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to interest you in.
Republicans can be so stupid. Why make Drier the leader? Why not some anoymonous likeable tax cutting Republican Congressman without a spot on his record? Its like we continually want bad publicity.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.