Posted on 10/05/2005 4:23:39 PM PDT by Pikamax
Earle's actions, movie add erratic element Advertisement EDITORIAL BOARD
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has added several more acts to the already circus-like investigation of alleged Republican campaign funding illegalities.
The latest act unfolded on Tuesday afternoon when Earle disclosed that he had gone grand jury shopping on Friday after an indictment against former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, which was returned last Wednesday, was questioned for its legality.
Working on its last day, a second grand jury declined to indict DeLay on Friday. Earle's office said it received new information over the weekend, so it went to yet a third grand jury empaneled on Monday, the last possible day under the statute of limitations. That grand jury returned the new indictments.
Earle's panicked rush lends credence to those who complain that he is a partisan playing politics with the grand jury, and it gives ammunition to critics who argue that he has been hapless in his three-year probe.
Earle also didn't help himself by becoming Austin's newest movie star, allowing a documentary crew to film his pursuit of possible financial wrongdoing by Republican operatives in 2002.
Earle had to know he would be summoning a GOP storm by investigating the party's powerful lobbying and fund-raising organizations. After all, he's been there before. Since Earle's failed prosecution of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in 1994, he has been saddled with the "partisan Democrat" label. He must have realized he would face the same wrath if DeLay's political action committees and the GOP business lobby were indicted.
Yet none of that history caused him to doubt the wisdom of inviting a documentary crew to film his probe of GOP fund-raising. It should have. News of the independent film crew's two-year-long access to Earle and his inner sanctum did not serve him well.
Earle disagrees, saying that he was just doing his job. Sorry, but his job is to prosecute, not be red meat for filmmakers looking for a big score. By starring in "The Big Buy," a documentary, Earle gives every appearance of having scripted a vendetta against one of the most powerful Republicans in the country.
It might not have been unethical for the district attorney to give such unprecedented access to a documentary crew, but it wasn't wise. Earle should have known better than to make himself the focus of attention.
His profile has been elevated throughout the long investigation stemming from the 2002 campaign, when DeLay helped fashion a GOP effort to take over the Texas House. The strategy worked, and DeLay forced a mid-census redistricting that gave him more Texas Republicans, and more power, in Congress.
Earle's high profile includes interviews in Esquire magazine and on television's "60 Minutes" and a speech with a gratuitous slap at DeLay during a Democratic fund-raiser in Dallas in May.
Earle would have served the public and his investigation better with less publicity and a cleaner, calmer and less controversial grand jury presentation.
His intent all along has been to get to the bottom of controversial corporate donations to political campaigns, which in most cases is illegal in Texas.
He should have kept his attention there, and not on publicity.
Earle planted his seeds in a most public way. Now the nation will be watching to see what he harvests.
The problem Earle has is that his timing makes it too painfully obvious as to what happened.
I'd bet my entire net worth that Earle is the eventual loser in this, not DeLay. Any DUmmie lurkers out there who want to take the bet?
I believe sir, that you are correct. I'm currently taking DUmmy bets here too.
Maybe he formed the jury pool from a Travis County Democrat party donor list.
That column deserves its own thread.
Bump
Dan Rather and his daughter once again are linked to another Democratic-contrived "Scandal."
If any charges are going to brought against Earle's outrageous conduct, which I doubt will happen, it will come from the federal level.
The most realistic bad news scenario for Earle is that he is disgraced and that the Texas legislature changes the powers of the county DAs.
sounds like texas justice is called for or a case of arkanacide (a little after hours meeting in fort mcarthur park). He may be breaking federal commerce laws. The feds stretch the shit out of those all the time.
It will take a Constitutional Amendment. The Texas Constitution gives authority for prosecution of statewide public officials and federal elected offices to the District Attorney of Travis County.
Sam Houston had no idea that a guy like Ronnie Earle could ever get elected in this state.
No Earle needs the treatment and You apparently as a democrat or socialist wannabee have had more than your share of koolaide.
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