News 8 Austin's Hermelinda Vargas, left, interviews William Gibson, who did not want his face shown.
Posted on 09/30/2005 7:35:03 PM PDT by anymouse
The 12-member grand jury that indicted U.S. Rep. Tom Delay, R-Sugar Land, faces scrutiny from critics who say they are lackeys for Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle.
Foreman William Gibson lives in a Northeast Austin neighborhood.
It's been his philosophy not to have his picture taken because he doesn't want to be harassed, Gibson said.
Gibson isn't really afraid of that. He did his duty and that bound him to look at Tom Delay as just another Texan accused of criminal conspiracy, he said.
"I like his aggressiveness and everything, and I had nothing against the House majority man, but I felt that we had enough evidence, not only me, but the other grand jury members," Gibson said.
The grand jury foreman also takes great exception to accusations that he and 11 other grand jury members followed the lead of Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle instead of following the evidence.
"It was not a rubber stamp deal. It was not an overnight deal. If we needed extra information, it was provided to us," Gibson said.
On Wednesday, Earle would not go into details about any potential evidence against Delay. But he did describe the scheme he's accusing Delay of coordinating.
"The indictment describes a scheme whereby corporate money, which cannot be given to candidates in Texas was sent to the Republican National Committee where it was exchanged for money raised from individuals and then sent to those Texas legislative candidates," Earle said.
Gibson thinks there is enough evidence to convict Delay.
"We would not have handed down an indictment. We would have no-billed the man, if we didn't feel there was sufficient evidence," said Gibson.
The evidence is there to prove Delay was involved in wrongdoing and also prove that he and his fellow grand jurors acted independent of political influence, Gibson said.
"It wasn't Mr. Earle that indicted the man. It was the 12 members of the grand jury," Gibson said.
Gibson is a former sheriff's deputy and a former investigator for what is now the Texas Department of Insurance.
Texas ping.
Understand he called into KLBJ yesterday to talk. Or was that this morning. Time is flying. Either way for a man that doesn't want his picture taken he sure doesn't mind making the media rounds.
Uh, exactly what has he talked about? All he's said is that he believes the indictment he and the others issued was warranted. Not exactly letting out anything we didn't know there.
I had known about the tendency of grand juries to follow the dictates of prosecutors instead of concerning themselves, as they are supposed to do, with protecting the unjustly accused. Still, I was stunned by a statistic presented by Bogira: From 2000 through 2003, Cook County grand juries “approved 1,706 indictments for every indictment they rejected.”
Is that Grand Jury disbanded and allowed to discuss the workings of the jury and the facts presented to them?
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
He's got to justify this, when the truth is, the Grand Jury only hears what Ronnie Earle wants them to hear. There is NO exculpatory evidence favorable to a potential defendant shown to Grand Juries which is, surprise, why they usually hand down indictments.
From the way they are acting, I expect these 12 morons to come forward and claim that they are not partisan and, as a matter of fact, are the only 12 "republicans" in Travis county. And oh yeah! They all "voted for Bush" and "support the troops." Commie 'RATS. Ya gotta love 'em.
Fair enough Mr Grand Jury foreman, if Mr Delay is guilty then he should be found that way by a jury of his peers. However, if he is found not guilty then you, the rest of your Grand Jury partners, and Mr. Earle have a lot of 'splainin to do?>p>And at this point, I wouldn't want to be in any of your shoes.
I was foreman of a Grand Jury for a year.
You cannot discuss the cases period.
The judges here would have locked me up if I or the 23 others talked to the press or anyone!!!!!
We had sensational cases and no one has stepped forward in ten years to discuss the evidence we saw.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
I smell something that reminds me of a dead fish or Pepe Le Puuugggghhhhh......
Yep. The truth is that Grand Jury does what the prosecution wants. They never act on their own. And as for the indictment - if there's evidence to back it, I haven't seen it. Maybe the foreman knows something the rest of us don't? I'd love to know what that might be.
Reminds me of the old saying..a prosecutor can get a Grand Jury to indict a Ham Sandwich...
I guess this idiot found out he was gonna be in a movie.
"We had sensational cases and no one has stepped forward in ten years to discuss the evidence we saw."
OK, now you have to tell us!!!!
My Dad was on a grand jury for 18 months once and I thought I remember him telling me, as a child, that he could not discuss it, even after the GJ disbanded. Thanks.
See my tagline.
News 8 Austin's Hermelinda Vargas, left, interviews William Gibson, who did not want his face shown.
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