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.
Who picks a grand jury in Texas?
I guess it's OK for a grand jury foreman to go before the media and state he thinks someone he just indicted is guilty? You're telling me that it's proper when he's only heard one side of the story? There is a good reason grand jury members are not suspose to speak out. This man has just tried Delay in front of the public with secret information - in the same manner as Earle. We're to assume they are correct.
The KBH case was presided over by Judge John Onion, who had spent 18 years as the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (the supreme court for criminal cases in Texas).
Keep also in mind that grand jurors in Texas are personally appointed by the local district judges. Travis County is one of the few remaining Texas counties with elected Democrats serving as judges.
In other words, what Congressman DeLay is alleged to have done is not a crimnal offense.
No bills were passed here too.
13 out of 24 to indite.
Is there enough evidence to move to a trial. That was all we were allowed to discuss.
The judge is the person who selects grand jury members from the pool, gives them instructions on what their duties are (including maintaining secrecy), and is the one who holds jurors accountable if they violate any of the instructions.
Yep, and Dick DeGuerin is the same attorney that kicked his *** on that case Against Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The Grand Jury also doesn't have a clue as to which pieces of "evidence" will actually be admissable and which will not. That's up to the trial judge.
At the end of a presentation the DA always makes a recommendation on the case. I worked in a nearby DA's office for years, and cannot remember a Grand Jury going against that recommendation one time. In other words they take the word of the DA that it is a good case.
And since Earle knew the film production company needed an indictment handed down so they could continue making the film about him, Earle accommodated.
Sue Bob has a great post on legal aspects of Ronnie going public. It is titled Ronnie Earle: Ethics Be Damned!
It is High School Playoff time, and that may be the one thing more important in Texas than politics.
As far as I know, the oath of secrecy that the grand jurors take is permanent. This guy is very much pushing the envelope.
Wonder how he feels about being the SIXTH Grand Jry to look into these charges and all the others passed! Gibson is probably a close cousin of Louisiana politicians.
Several Republicans I knew when I was living in southern Florida (infested with liveral Democrats) were indicted for various election-law or financial matters, and not a single one was ever convicted of anything. Any normal person can see that a grand jury "indictment" is just another in the toolset used by sludge material like Earle to try to dfestroy conservatives and Republicand.
There is a spell check button. Please use it.
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