POLITICS: Grand Jury Indicts DeLay on New Charge of Money Laundering

A Second Grand Jury has just issued a new indictment against Rep.. Tom DeLay and two political associates. This time the charges are for money laundering, which were immediately dismissed by Delay and his staff as nothing more then a continued witch hunt.



Looks like District Attorney Ronnie Earle realized his first case was so weak he had to trump up some new charges against Delay and his staff.

It will be fun to watch this all unfold.

This is just and educated guess but I think since these charges came so close to the others it has to be a witch hunt.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
POLITICS: House Majority Leader Tom Delay Indicted



[edit on 10/3/2005 by shots]

Funny how Bush sprung the Harriet Miers announcement early this morning in wake of all this Delay decay news.

Coincidence? I think not.



Do Not Pass Go.
Do Not Collect $190,000.



[edit on 3-10-2005 by Regenmacher]

That's going on a billboard!

Pass It On
WorkingForChange is putting this image on a billboard in Tom DeLay's home district of Sugar Land, Texas.

Originally posted by shots

news.yaho o.com


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

The new indictment came hours after DeLay's attorneys filed a request to dismiss the case. That request argued that the conspiracy charge was based on a law that was not effective until 2003, the year after the alleged money transfers.

...

The judge who will preside in DeLay's case is out of the country on vacation and couldn't rule on the defense motion. Other state district judges declined to rule on the motion in his place.



Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
POLITICS: House Majority Leader Tom Delay Indicted

Wonder what country? No one else is touching it, eh?

Surely, Earkle wouldn't let this hang up on a technicality? Was the law in effect when the alleged crimes happened?

It WILL be fun to watch this all unfold although I'm already starting to get scandal fatigue.

Scandal fatigue!!!! ROTFLMAO
I think you coined a new phrase. Good One!

OK, so this DA got a grand jury to indict him for a crime that doesn't exist...when he figures this out he runs to another grand jury and gets them to indict him for something else. And you guys still think he knows what he's doing and this is a fair process, not politically motivated?

Add another charge to the spin.

DeLay indicted on 2 new charges
Money-laundering counts against lawmaker carry maximum penalty of life in prison

Actually if the law was introduced after his action than he shouldn't be found guilty of any crime. It is rare a law works backwards because of the Social impact it could cause and also the wider problems such events would cause however it has been known to happen.

If he is found guilty and does go to prison, it'll set down a new judicial precedent on laws working back as well as forewards and won't be good for the people as a whole. Especailly in the wake of these new anti-terror laws.

Furthermore, I would find it highly unlikley that he is found guilty without their being some 'behind the scenes' work by the Government/Powers that want him locked away.

Originally posted by Odium
Actually if the law was introduced after his action than he shouldn't be found guilty of any crime. It is rare a law works backwards because of the Social impact it could cause and also the wider problems such events would cause however it has been known to happen.

It can't happen in the U.S., it's strictly forbidden by the U.S. Constitution:

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

U.S. Constitution

That would be an ex post facto law, obviously specifically banned by the Constitution.

The new charges are based 2002 Laws. Makes ya wonder what 2008 election is going to be like. Stake burnings?

This Rove-gate is getting to be quite the can of worms.





[edit on 4-10-2005 by Regenmacher]

I already stated this last week after reading the first indictment against, Mr. Delay but it's worth saying again. D.A. Earle is a nut-case! I think we still have one more charge coming up after this one falls by the way-side. Anyone remember the same guy charging Senator Hutchison three times unsuccessfully? This whole thing is like deja' vu .

I predict that this newest allegation, along with the next one, (Of course there will be more) will die a fairly quick death, and only strengthen Mr. Delay's reputation by showing how extreme and politically motivated this D.A. actually is. Keep up the good work Mr. Delay. You're obviously doing something right to be targeted by the opposition in this manner.

Let's face it, the guy is a crook with connections. People like him are notorious for skating by on legal technicalities. That's why they came up with RICO statutes. Al Capone was responsible for murdering countless people, but went to jail for tax evasion. That's just how the legal system works in America.

Did I just compare Delay to a mobster? Yes I did. Same circus, different ring.

YAY, If there is anything to tell, he will break.

The house is going to fall.

I seriously doubt these charges stick, they seem so last minute and probably without merit.

Now with that said what I am most interested in is the fallout for Delay on this. If you have watched the coverage of his home district it appears he has been losing his popularity. The reason is his attitude. The whole HAMMER thing turns people off. Also it appears the other members of congress are less than pleased with is style of leadership. The worst kind of leader is one who rules with an iron fist. A leader in a democracy who takes no ones opinion into account but their own, is called a dictator.

I think the overall fall out of this will be that those moderate republican/democrats in the house will now have a chance to gain new leadership that believes in working together to do the peoples business.

Evidence of this attitude by Delay is his remarks that he will still be working behind the scenes to lead the congress. That violates the rules, he has been admonished many times for ethical violations and again he appears to not want to follow the rules.

Originally posted by dbates
I already stated this last week after reading the first indictment against, Mr. Delay but it's worth saying again. D.A. Earle is a nut-case!

It seems to me that all of the faux patriots around these parts have already made up thier minds without hearing any evidence. Or perhaps they are completely brainwashed. Though I do not have a high opinion of Delay I am at least willing to wait until I hear the evidence before making hostile remarks.
.

Problem is, djohnsto77, the constitution can and has been abused. It wouldn't shock me if they tried to push a law through like that and allowed them to work backwards.

It is great for fear and control.

What if 5years from now this deviant actions becomes a crime? Oh best not do it...

Originally posted by Icarus Rising
Al Capone was responsible for murdering countless people, but went to jail for tax evasion. That's just how the legal system works in America.

Did I just compare Delay to a mobster? Yes I did. Same circus, different ring.

....hmmm. What about the corporation donations (where the money originated from)? What kind of tax write-off were they? And how legal were they to begin with?

Now one has to wonder if there is any tie-in to the tax breaks Jr. gave his big business cronies when he was first in office? Any implications in the tax laws to campaign contributions there?

One sweet thing with this charge is that this being a State crime, there is no hope of a Presidential pardon.

I really think some of you possibly just casually following this case are going to be SHOCKED by the outcome.

Something already stuck as every independent legal analyst I've read observes, Delay signed a deal waiving the statute of limitations on the first conspiracy charge.

The only reason a high priced criminal attorney like Dick Deguerin would waive rights is to agree to a deal (in this case conspiracy) so as not to be pursued on the money laundering.

Then the game of Texas Hold 'Em got good.

Deguerin thinking he's the smartest man in the room after getting his client to agree to a conspiracy charge from the FIRST grand jury goes all over TV to talk it down as if the crimes his client committed weren't recognized crimes until later.

Enter the SECOND grand jury Deguerin never saw coming. And suddenly MONEY LAUNDERING is back on the table.

The signed deal alone points to the fact something stuck from the first grand jury. The second grand jury points to the fact, Dick Deguerin possibly screwed Delay with some bad advice and an attempt to wiggle out of the deal he already made.

Delay's job the next few years is going to be "the defendant." That's it. He's done.

At least one of the hundreds of Republicans around the country that Tom's Texas PAC's funded has given back the money.

Boston.com

Bradley to return money from DeLay's PAC

WASHINGTON --Rep. Jeb Bradley, R-N.H., says he will return $15,000 in campaign funds from former House majority leader Tom DeLay's political action committee.

[snip]

In a statement to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Bradley said that though the political action committee that gave him money is not under investigation he is returning it to remove any question about the nature of the contribution.

There's a huge call campaign now to pressure other's to follow suit. It's not that unusual, and usually done quietly to avoid this kind of attention. After the grossly underreported Ohio CoinGate scandal to rob state coffers to pay for Republican runs all over the country, candidates all the way up to Bush returned every dime. Except Schwarzenegger of course. He's filthy juiced.

My own worthless sack of bureaucrat, Rep. Hayes of NC (one of the most lobbied men in Congress) took $37,722 from Delay PACs. Like he needs Texas oil money? He's owned by outsourcers and out-of-state interests already.

Really, defending this Delay joker and the Congressional cancer he presided over will be the butt wrong end of the stick come 2006. Watch.


[edit on 4-10-2005 by RANT]

politics.abovetopsecret.com...

Once again dems come in and stomp on reps. So sad. Anyways this is going to be great! They are going to have to make a new prison to hold all the republicans that will be in jail by 2010.

Originally posted by Full Metal
politics.abovetopsecret.com...

Once again dems come in and stomp on reps. So sad. Anyways this is going to be great! They are going to have to make a new prison to hold all the republicans that will be in jail by 2010.

What world you living in?

Look at the highest court in America now, by the time the trial gets there they'll be set free...