Grand Jury Indicts DeLay on New Charge

ap on Yahoo ^ | 10/3/05 | April Castro - ap

[NormsRevenge]

AUSTIN, Texas - A Texas grand jury indicted Rep. Tom DeLay on a new charge of money laundering Monday, less than a week after another grand jury leveled a conspiracy charge that forced DeLay to temporarily step down as House majority leader.

Both indictments accuse DeLay and two political associates of conspiring to get around a state ban on corporate campaign contributions by funneling the money through a political action committee to the Republican National Committee in Washington.

The RNC then sent back like amounts to distribute to Texas candidates in 2002, the indictment alleges.

[goldstategop]

Ronnie Earle is adding more charges to increase his leverage. "Money laundering," huh? PAC's launder money all the time and its not a crime. Unless you happen to be a Republican, of course.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[tamalejoe]

I assume this is still the same grand jury being used by Ronnie Earle...

Any chance of W. simply pardoning Delay for any and all crimes which he might be indicted for by Earle, past, present, and future? He could simply say "Hey, as long as I'm in this office, no two-bit punk and political hack like Ronnie Earle is going to outlaw the Republican party, period, end of story."

[NormsRevenge]

supposedly it was a second jury,, working on a different area of the "investigation"

[jess35]

This is a new Grand jury. I suspect they're just piling it on to see if they can force him to resign. Of course the fact that the alleged crimes were perfectly legal when this occured isn't going to penetrate the thick skulls of the media...or the leftists. It's what they want that matters, not what is legal.

[jess35]

Actually, it's based on the original investigation. Earle couldn't get a money laundering charge out of the last Jury so they went to the new jury and said...hey, he's already indicted for conspiracy to launder money so...we want you to look at money laundering as well.

[Popman]

Let them pile it on

In the Delay will be exonerated and they will look like fools

Them a Texas Judge can fine Ronnie Earle for abuse of the court system

[Glic]

"It's what they want that matters, not what is legal." Should be very easy to beat then, right? Won't a judge just throw this out?

[Ruth C]

No it is not the same grand jury. That is the point. Many prosecutors will use two different juries with two different presentations and different 'crimes' in order to get an indictment and in order to keep as much information away from the public and the defendent. For example, had he put both before the one grand jury and they came down with an indictment for conspiracy and money laundering, when his attorneys filed for disclosure he would have had to disclose all at once. This way they must file for disclosure for two different things under two different areas which stretches the time out and allows him to move more 'slowly' releasing things and yet cover himself legally. So the less real information is out there and the more speculation for a longer time. That makes the chances of destroying DeLay higher, thereby keeping him from getting agendas pushed and passed.

It won't matter if the charges are quietyly dismissed, and you know if they are it will be quiet in the media. What will remain for most who don't follow politics is 'DeLay? oh, that guy who laundered money, right?' I wonder if there is a way to prove prosecutorial misconduct? He has done this so many times before not having enough evidence to convict but just enough to get a true bill from a grand jury?

[MaineVoter2002]

They could care less how they look if they can gain seats in 2006. That's what it's all about.

http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html

[Pessimist]

"I assume this is still the same grand jury being used by Ronnie Earle... "

I read somewhere it was going to be a different one.

[Dan from Michigan]

It's the same thing he was charged with before. Corporate Money to PAC's.

[kcvl]

Earle has his own website. He is really impressed with himself. roflol!


http://www.ronnieearle.com/

NYT Op-Ed
The open contempt for moral values by our elected officials has a corrosive effect. It is a sad day for law enforcement when Congress offers such poor leadership on moral values and ethical behavior. We are a moral people, and the first lesson of democracy is not to hold the public in contempt. Read More...

[kcvl]

DA Ronnie Earle Earns National Recognition For Austin

Named one of the ten model offices in the country by the National District Attorneys' Association, the Travis County DA's office is a leader in solving the problems that lead to crime.


PUKE!


Ronald Earle, District Attorney

Phone: (512) 854-9400
Fax: (512) 854-9695
509 W.11th St
Austin, TX 78701

The mission of the District Attorney's Office is to see that justice is done by providing the highest quality legal representation for the public and individual victims of crime, as well as effectively contributing to efforts to reform and improve the criminal justice system and strengthen the community.

The District Attorney's Office represents the state and victims of crime in the prosecution of felony and juvenile offenses committed in Travis County. The office also represents the Department of Family and Protective Services in civil suits affecting parental rights. A state-funded division of the office investigates and prosecutes crimes related to the operation of state government, motor fuels tax fraud, insurance fraud, and workers' compensation fraud.

[Brilliant]

In another thread, the post makes it sound like Earle's second indictment was intended to back up the first one because he read the defense's motion to dismiss the first indictment, and realized that the statute on which it was based was not passed until after they cut the checks.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Interesting that Bill Press's article TODAY (written last week, sent to the papers for publication on Monday!) uses the same terms and key words ("Climate of corruption" and Cronyism" etc) as the nonpolitical (er, partisan democrat) (liberal) Texas DA?

So, when did Bill Press, and the rest of the MSM, get their talking points from the DA?

[Brilliant]

They were both being used by Earle.

[kcvl]

FRIEND OF OFFICIAL TARGETED BY EARLE CALLED HIM A ‘BOY SCOUT’: “Democrats, for their part, are still upset over the prosecution of Attorney General Jim Mattox for bribery in 1985. … He was acquitted and years later, Jim Marston, a civil lawyer in Austin and friend of Mr. Mattox, asked Earle why he went ahead with the questionable case. “I said, ‘Ronnie, how can it be an abuse of power to threaten a lawyer? We threaten each other all the time.’ He told me that elected officials are held to a higher standard. They are supposed to be [above suspicion] like Caesar’s wife.’ It was then that Mr. Marston realized how deep Earle’s principles run. ‘Ronnie Earle is a Boy Scout who is offended by wrongdoings, chief among them, public officials’ abuse of power.’ [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]

[kcvl]

Travis Co. District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who oversees the state Public Integrity Unit and thus has the authority to prosecute state leaders for any official misconduct. This makes Earle pretty much the last Democrat in Texas with statewide power.

[Virginia Gentleman]

‘Ronnie Earle is a Boy Scout who is offended by wrongdoings, chief among them, public officials’ abuse of power.’

Ronnie Earle, look in the mirror.