Posted on 10/05/2005 7:47:29 PM PDT by frankjr
A prosecutor tried to convince a grand jury that Rep. Tom DeLay gave tacit approval to a series of laundered campaign contributions and became angry when jurors refused to indict, according to two sources directly familiar with the proceeding.
The grand jury was one of three that considered whether there was probable cause to indict DeLay. Two other grand juries did indict the former House majority leader, who had to step aside temporarily under Republican rules.
Both indictments focused on an alleged scheme to provide corporate political donations to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state law. The first indictment forced DeLay to temporarily step down as majority leader under House GOP rules.
The sources, who only commented anonymously because of grand jury secrecy, said Travis County prosecutor Ronnie Earle became visibly angry when the grand jurors last week signed a document declining to indict, known as a "no bill."
One source said the sole evidence Earle presented was a DeLay interview with the prosecutor, in which DeLay said he was generally aware of activities of his associates. He is charged in an alleged money laundering scheme to funnel corporate money to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state law.
The source said that Earle tried to convince the jurors that if DeLay "didn't say, 'Stop it,' he gave his tacit approval."
The mood was unpleasant," another source said, describing Earle's reaction.
"We have inquired carefully into the case" and "failed to find a bill of indictment against him," the grand jury said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Of course, the socialist press would have a harder time singing Earles praises.
If a law goes into effect in 2003, and the activities in question took place in 2002...
Has the law been broken?
/rhetorical musings
Yes, yes he is.
There goes the "ham sandwich" theory (that any competent prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich if he wanted). Oh wait, I said "competent". Theory stands.
Our judicial system is a joke, the prosecutor gets rejected by a grand jury and just picks a new one.
What a travesty. He was generally aware of activities but didn't know the day to day activities. The nitwit Earle is indicting him for not saying no to something he didn't even know about. There is no evidence.
Earle goes for an indictment that wasn't even a crime at the time. He goes after kay bailey hutchinson and other political conservative dems that he doesn't like. Judges have rejected him countless times.
TIME TO DISBAR THIS COMMIE EARLE
wATCH A TOOL
But there's another possibility: DeLay looks less guilty than a ham sandwich.
ex post facto.
Doesn't matter, Earle is on a fishing expedition and he has the taxpayers to pay the tab.
This news information from the liberal WAPO is series, if they are smelling a RAT trick, Delay is home free.
I learned about Earle while consulting for a Republican candidate, Shane Phelps, who dared run against him in 1996. Because Austin and surrounding Travis County was then, and still is, a liberal Democratic kingdom, Phelps’s campaign was unsuccessful. But we built an opposition-research file on Earle that was disturbing. In fact, Earle’s file suggested to me that he was the most corrupt and immoral individual I had ever scrutinized in the course of politics.
The most damning evidence was in a file documenting the 1984 dismissal of a criminal investigator in Earle’s office. The key document is a transcript of a July 16, 1984, interview that Texas Ranger Ron Stewart conducted with Earle employee Joe Dale Morris.
According to a Feb. 1, 1985, article in the Dallas Morning News, Morris was forced to resign after that interview for purportedly aiding state and federal agents who were probing Earle’s operation. I can see how Earle would not have cared for the interview.
Morris’s testimony is shocking. Describing the probe of a deaf-school administrator, he quotes one source, former County Attorney Margaret Moore, as telling him, “I can’t get any cooperation out [of] Ronnie Earle or Steve McCleery. McCleery is an idiot, and Earle’s up on dope all the time.”
Morris also confesses to exploding in anger and rage in Earle’s office when he learned that public-corruption cases involving two law-enforcement officers had been dismissed. He also describes how Earle failed to prosecute other cases, even when Morris had extracted confessions. Says Morris, “I have to control my temper, but those jackasses down there are so damn crooked.”
At one point, the ranger asks Morris: “Is there anything that you know whereby that some things were actually covered up and were not given to either an investigative grand jury, the facts were not related or someone said we’re just not, we’re gonna hold this back, we’re not going to permit this information to be aired? And I’m talking about obstruction of justice is what I’m talking about.”
Morris responds simply: “The answer to your question is yes. And I have in my possession the information that was caused to be destroyed.” Morris then goes on with the details.
Later in the interview, Morris titillates with tales of Earle’s alleged use of drugs, illicit sex and misuse of official automobiles and expense accounts.
"It's not the nature of the evidence, it is the seriousness of the charge."
Precisely. The Compost is in damage control mode.
Double that. Because the Austin American-Statesman (which is, if anything, more unreservedly liberal than the Post) is also turning on their once dear Ronnie.
Earle has overplayed his hand. A dumb thing to do when you're evidently sitting nine high...
What is it about Austin and Travis County that makes it so liberal?
I understand there's a lot of state employees and the U of Texas is also located there but it seems like there's got to more to it than that.
What is it about this area that attracts so many leftists?
Anyone?
Earle should be behind bars.
Along with Ronnie Earle, its where Ben Barnes and Robin Rather cast their webs.
A few facts short of a case and a few bricks short of a load, no doubt.
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