Posted on 09/28/2005 3:46:48 PM PDT by sinkspur
Tom DeLay to make an appearance on Special Edition NOW!!
A smile doesn't mean it's a "laughing matter." I read it in a completely different way--he's smiling because he's confident. Would you prefer he hunch his shoulders, slink around and look guilty?
Caught it, thanks.
Unfortunately, in the meantime, the weasels have gotten Delay removed as House Majority Leader.
Stopping what?
A political witch-hunt?
Please.
Should he wag his finger and angril say, "I did not have....conspiracy with that money. Not one time."
Yeah, anger is so convincing and intimidating.
Wed Sep 28 17:49:49 2005
brit: I'm joined now by republican congressman tom delay of texas who stands accused tonight of a count of conspiracy to violate his state's campaign finance laws. Congressman as we noted earlier, I read the indictment, you do stand accused of this conspiracy, do you know what it is exactly you are believed to have done or accused of doing to start this conspiracy?
>> Frankly, brit, it has got my own lawyers scratching their head because the indictment is though the specific. Not specific about what I'm being charged with. See, all they wanted to do was get an indictment so that i had to step aside temperature temporarilyly as majority leader. That has gone been their goal all along. Brigitte: How do you know that?
>> Well, they announced iT. The democratic campaign commith committee, it son their website. I have been going through this for 10 years, I have had ethics charges file starting in 1993, again in 1995, a racketeering suit in -- right after that. Month ethics charges right after that and all of them have been dismissed. And we knew that this -- this has been going on for two years, multiple grand juries, and then they come out with an indictment that my own lawyers don't know what I'm charged witH. Brigitte: Back in august, you met are ronnie earl, can you describe that meeting meeting, what you said and what he said?
>> Approximately well, it was a voluntary interview, they asked me to come in and bakely what i showed them was yes, it was my idea to set up this political action committee -- brit: This is the texas republican majority political action committee and it is track pac that is alleged to have taken money raised from cooperations, send it to washington through the rnc and had it come back as -- as in effect cooperate money into the state of it be --
>> That is not the case. What this is is something done by democrats and republicans stollingtsly legal back this the days of soft and hard money. You could send soft money to the party, they would use that soft money for legitimate reasons, and then they would turn around and use their hard money and send it to candidates. It was even more money than sent by trim pac to austiN. But that is not the point here. The point here is that i -- it was my tea to set up trim pac. I got it all organized. Then the people that ran it, they ran the day-to-day operations. I had no futurery responsibility, I had no managerial responsibilitY. I and four other elected officials were on an advisory board. I went to five fundraisers, they did use my name to raise money but of that the extent of the so I didn't know what they were doing. And frankly everything they did they did with the approval of lawyers and accountants. Archbishop so the question for the moment of whether what happened here carried out by these gentlemen was illegal north, were you aware of what they were doing this terms of money being sent to washington?
>> No. Not at all. Brit: You knew nothing about iT.
>> And they told me about later, and they would tell me things are going welL. You know, when jim ellis is also runs by arm pac and jim ellis would let eme know how things were going, of course I was interested this how things were going and how much money they were raising. Very little. And in this particular case, I don't know exactly when, but in passing -- brit: This check had is shown, a check for something like $191,000 that is shown sent from trim pac to washington, that does not establish any crime but sent to the republican national state elections committee. Were you aware that that check was sent to washington?
>> After it was done, yeah. Brit: Ahead of time?
>> No.
>> Did you at any time engage in any discussions to these men about how money that was raise raised through trim pac would be spent?
>> No, I didn't know the candidates they were giving money to. I just had hog to to with the day-to-day operation. I had set it up as i do other -- my political activity, the point here is is texas deserved a republican house of representatives. And I came in to texas, i wanted redistricting to happen because the people of texas had been soarly underrepresented, their values and their rens republican leengses were soorlly underrepresent because of redistricts and I want to change that and the way you got change that was to take the majority in the texas house and that was my goal. It was successful. We took the house, we did redistricting, we gained five republican seats. Brit: In furtherance of that, did you encourage this pac to raise postpone from cooperate sources?
>> Suit absolutely, it's legal. Brigitte: Having done that how would that help your cause of electricitying state legislatures in a state that --
>> Because under texas law you could raise cooperate funds to run administrative services of trim pac, pay salaries, the rent -- brit: But they raised more than that.
>> That's why they sent it to the republican state committee. Brit: Right. Was it your understanding that money was going to come back into stks?
>> I wasn't part of that but that's the way it works. Brit: So in other words, if this money goes to washington and some of it -- because it is cooperate money --
>> No, it is different money. Brit: I understand, cooperate money can't come back it to texas, but money raised from individuals can come back into texas so if that money freeze up money from individual done jurors --
>> It doesn't free up money, the cooperate money that trim pac--i really don't want to get into the weeds on this. But the cooperate money that was sent to the republican state hexes committee could be used by them foyer their administrative purposes. It is like your brother-in-law sending you some money to take care of the rent. They have other moneys that are legitimate hard money as it is called, raised by legitimately -- brit: From individuals.
>> That they can send down in to races. It is very legal and it has been done for years and years and year. And the democrats do it and the republicans do it. Brit: At a point here you decided to wear the statute of limitations on the offense. Describe that.
>> I was sort of extorted out of that. Ronnie earl let my lawyers know last week that I was going to be indicted because he had a run away grand jury. And that he was not going to go in and talk them out of it unless i waived my statute of limitations rights for another 30 days. So I thought yeah, let's keep working on it. Brit: Did you believe at that time you had a chance of talking him out of this indictment?
>> Yeah. Brit: Did he ever say anything to you to give you a reason to believe that?
>> I didn't talk to him. He talked to my lawyers. Brit: But in the meeting in august.
>> But thaffers an interview, voluntary hour and a half interview. Stenographer, though the under oath. Brit: All right, so what is the mexico move for you now in terms-fighting this case?
>> Well, I have hired dick degaron who is my lawyer, the same lawyer that taught ronnie earl a lesson when he did this to kay bailey hushinson, the senator senate from texas. And he has done this, he did it against his deck, political enemies, the exact modus operandi, he drags it out, I have been going through this for two years so he gets all the press that he can to damage you and dang your reputation, and then he pulse the trigger at the end and this this case he pulled the trig sorry that I would step down as majority leader. And had won this grounD. But because i complied with the rules of the republican conference. But, he does this all the time. And dick is going to try to solve this as wycly -- brit: Supporters maintain by the way that while he is often accused of being a partisan that his history is that he has indicted a lot more democrats than republicans. What about that?
>> Well, because back this the early days when he was indicting his political democratic enemies, there were no republicans in texas. So he -- there were though republicans in leadership, we had maybe one governoR. He went after had conservative democrats. The political situation in texas back this those days was conserve democrats against liberal dem. He indicted the lieutenant governor, conservative dem. He indicted -- democraT. He indicted senator kay bailey hutchinson. He is a fat that thic, a lerble political fanatic. Brit: This case will be tried, though if it every get to trying in his county, will it not? Travis county?
>> Not necessarily, you can change even oohs. Brit: But initially come before a --
>> He doesn't even know the law and I shopet talk like a lawyer. He is supposed to refer this to my home countY. And he misstated the law in his press conference today. This is -- this is a political hack that hardly ever goes to his own office. He only goes to office for press conference. Brit: Tell me about the caucus today where the decision was made that roy would step up?
>> That's the best part of it. The members of repubn caucus and the democracy couldn't have done more to bring us together and unite us when we were actually falling apart. Last week was a bad week for the unit in our cog yuss. I have never seen our caucus so unified. And they are focused on our agenda of getting tax cuts, entitlement reform, taking care of the disasterous. Gas prices, we are sticking to our agenda and we are going forward. Brit: Do you have any doubts as to whether you will be acquitted?
>> No, I'm innocent, the truth is on my side, the facts are on my sidE. So that's why this is just the worst travesty of justice eveR. Brit: If you thank you for being here. Please tune in next time and in the meantime.............
Delay did a pretty good job of speaking up for himself.
This morning, I was ready to see him walk the plank.
Doing Britt's show was a wise move.
I disagree, the charges are phony, laughing it off may be the best way to expose those bozos for what they are, political hacks.
Very good move; Brit's well-liked and respected.
All your wishing in the world won't make it true. If he came on all serious...or sobbing and sucking his thumb....then you say, aha!! He looks guilty!
DeLay knows Texas politics. Now, the rest of the country can see it, too. Earle is a democratic tool. Always has been, always will be. If anyone goes down in flames, it will be vindictive Earle. Sorry.
You must have flying fingers. Man, I thought I could type fast, but you've got me beat.
It's only temporary.
Exactly...as he always does.
DeLAY COMING UP NEXT ON HARDBALL (MSNBC)
Brit did that very well. A hot seat but a fair and balanced hotseat.
Next, his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, who also defended Kay Hutchison against this hack DA, will pull out his big guns.
Thanks for the head's up. Normally I watch Brit, but my kid was watching "Rocko's Modern Life" (but who cares.) That was a great f'n interview with Brit. Delay did an excellent job. And Brit asked some great questions. This is going to blow up in the Dems faces. I love the fact that Delay is going out stong on this...giving the facts. If the morons on the other networks go for his jugular, they will be shown for the morons that they are...just like with their bogus Katrina stories.
I am also glad DeLay answered the "Earle indicted more Dems" story. Kos is pushing this bogus talking point. They have to go back to the conservative Dem days to find the indictments. LMAO!!!
I was also glad to hear this is helping to unite the GOP in the House.
I used to be indifferent on DeLay, but now I truly love the guy!
Bring it on, Bring it on!!!!
Must have a video capture board that also will strip off captions to a text file...I have one that does...
Good strategy...defang the enemy.
If DeLay understands so clearly that Earle is such a two-bit tinhorn political hack, why would DeLay consent to extend the statue of limitations?
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.