Posted on 07/11/2006 6:35:21 PM PDT by T'wit
AUSTIN — Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is suing to keep secret the details about his investigation of indicted former House majority leader Tom DeLay.
The Houston Chronicle filed a request under Texas' open records law in March seeking vouchers, hotel and airfare receipts, budget documents, memos and e-mails describing the expenses for the DeLay inquiry and related investigations.
DeLay, indicted last year on conspiracy and money laundering charges connected to the financing of 2002 state legislative races, resigned from Congress on June 9.
Earle, in his attempt to keep details of his investigation out of public view, appealed to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, arguing that releasing the information could compromise the prosecution.
The state's lawyer, who reviewed examples of the information, generally ruled that Earle didn't have to disclose secret information related to grand jury investigations. But the attorney general noted that the public records law requires disclosure of "information in an account, voucher, or contract" relating to the expenditure of public monies, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday.
Earle sued last week to overturn the legal opinion.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
there will be hell to pay when this info comes out.. the district attorney was obviously abusing his position of authority for political hit poinrs
Of COURSE the investigation should be top secret. It's not like Ronnie Earl was investigating Al Qaeda banking transactions.
HE better give it up....and when he does...I want to read it.
Ronnie had better start shredding the cell phone bills. And copiers have memories too.
Maybe he can fax it in from the local Kinko's.
This is nothing but a left-wing conspiracy against DeLay of epic proportions. His crime? Having the guts to stand up against the Dems instead of assuming the fetal position like 90% of Republicans.
Ahhh, Ronnie Earle, that paragon of public ethics, is his himself above the open records law. What a shocker.
Something makes me think this guy got beat up a lot on the playground.
Like criminal William Jefferson (D) Louisiana is suing to keep the papers confiscated from him sealed, so too is Earle suing, to keep his underhanded method of DeLay's prosecution secret.
I hope the sonof a beach ends up in jail.
So do I. But it's Travis County - blue splotch in red Texas.
What doesn't this "representative of the people" want people to know? Is it time for the NYT to expose this shame? Don't "Americans" have a right to know?
I know what you mean, but a public law office of that size generally keeps a detailed database of expense accounts related to particular cases, in anticipation of the open records law and for the county auditor.
While they don't have to give up sensitive details, they could easily give at least a summary of dollars and purpose (i.e. x amount travel, x for lodging, x for expert witness, x for outside counsel, etc..).
Might happen.
I agree the "public" prosecutor Earl wants to keep things out of the "publics" eye. Another hipocRAT.
Gitmo detainees can have access to secret evidence now.
LOL - If it's good enough for the Gitmo detainees...it's good enough for Ronnie Earle....come on Ronnie, give it up!
Ping, if you're still around.
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