Congressman Tom Delay Indictment

[Guest Friends of Tom Delay]

Tom, Count on me because I know there's a larger battle. Just as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and other public officials have defeated similar attacks from Ronnie Earle, I know you'll fight and win this battle. Our team can't rely on the mainstream media.

 

I am standing with Tom

 

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As you probably know, the very partisan Travis County D.A. recently manufactured an indictment against me that is based on charges from the 2002 Texas State House elections.

 

These charges are groundless and false. I am completely innocent. Just as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and other public officials have defeated similar attacks from this D.A., I will prove his allegations are baseless and without merit.

 

Despite this partisan distraction, I will continue to represent you and fight for the interests of our community.

 

I hope you’ll take a moment now to read more about exactly what is happening and why. Thank you for visiting and I look forward to keeping you up to date on our fight this out of control DA.

[Guest Another Friend]

Ronnie Earle's office has sworn testimony and other exculpatory evidence showing that Congressman DeLay did not have knowledge of the transaction.

 

This is more Liberal bullcrap. H.G. Wells could not write any better.

[Guest 2easy]

Mr. Earle has a history of indicting political enemies, Democrat and Republican, on flimsy evidence that didn't hold up in court. In the mid-1980s, he indicted Attorney General Jim Mattox, a rival of his ally Ann Richards, on bribery charges. Mr. Mattox was acquitted and won re-election.

 

In 1993, he indicted Kay Bailey Hutchison, who'd just been elected to the U.S. Senate, on charges of misconduct and records tampering. Mr. Earle was forced to drop the case even before it went to trial.

 

Earlier this year, the prosecutor delivered a widely criticized speech at a Democratic fund-raiser in which he compared his prosecutorial targets to "Mussolini and his fascists" and all but declared that he had Mr. DeLay in his sights.

[Guest Jamie]

You people are fools. Don't you see how swaggering DeLay has become that he even spits on the hands that feed him --the lobbyists. DeLay not only does business with lobbyists, but he has also subsumed them. In one early, tone-setting power play, he discovered that the electronics industry was about to appoint as its chief lobbyist a former Democratic congressman, Dave McCurdy. DeLay told the industry that he didn't approve of its choice. When the association refused to change its selection, DeLay simply yanked off the House calendar an important piece of legislation that the administration, congressional committees, and the industry had been working on for months. The industry group cobbled together a face-saving arrangement, and DeLay put the bill back on the schedule, but a billboard on K Street couldn't have sent the message more clearly. So thoroughly has DeLay taken over the lobbies that now lobbyists actually work for him. You may be, for example, an automotive lobbyist, but when DeLay wants a tobacco bill passed, he gets you to talk to the congressmen from car country.

[Natalia1974]

A friend sent this to me. I bet Tom is a good monopoly player.

[unatural blonde]

Tom DeLay was indicted for a second time in less than a week by a Texas grand jury investigating campaign contributions. DeLay called it "an abomination of justice."

 

The latest indictment, for one count of conspiring to launder money and one count of money laundering, was brought hours after DeLay's lawyers attacked on technical grounds another indictment handed down last week.

 

But here is real Juicy story....

It deserves those Bon Jovi tickets!

 

Prosecutors investigating Rep. Tom DeLay have asked former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for details of a meeting between the two politicians, her spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

 

"Lady Thatcher is visited by many politicians and political figures from around the world," Bell said. "It was not a business meeting."

 

The Daily Mirror newspaper, citing a leaked British government document, reported Monday that the request was part of an inquiry by the Justice Department into allegations that congressmen received free foreign holidays in return for efforts to influence legislation.

 

The newspaper quoted the Home Office document as saying the investigation centered on the activities of Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist with close ties to DeLay.

[Guest LAW]

Just to clarify, the issue is a transaction during the 2002 election. DeLay's Texas committee donated $190,000 in corporate money to the Republican National Committee, which, two weeks later, contributed the same amount of noncorporate money to seven Texas legislative candidates.

[Guest LaughingLefty]

Bacardi Supports Delay

 

Bacardi Inc. maker of rum and other products, has donated $3000 to Tom Delay's defence fund. Why not tell them how you feel about that and take it to their bottom line? Contact their PR and Marketing Dept. and tell them you are no longer interested in purchasing their product and why.

 

http://www.bacardi.com

 

Note: Be polite but firm

[Guest Unatural Blonde]

Here are some more Delay Backers

 

American Airlines made a $5,000 contribution to the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust between October 1, 2002, and December 31, 2002.

 

Nissan North America, Inc. made a $5,000 contribution to the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust between July 1, 2001, and September 30, 2001.

 

R J Reynolds Tobacco Co. made a $5,000 contribution to the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2000. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. made another $2,000 contribution between April 2, 2002 and June 30, 2002. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. made another $5,000 contribution between January 1, 2003 and March 31, 2003. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. made yet another $5,000 contribution between July 1, 2004 and September 30, 2004.

 

Verizon Services Group, made a $5,000 contribution to the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust between July 1, 2001, and September 30, 2001.

[Guest Joan Claybrook]

Republicans swept to power 11 years ago, promising to restore integrity to government. But the indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay today shows that something is rotten in the heart of the party’s political structure. DeLay’s raw power grab has relied on a complex influence-peddling scheme designed to consolidate his own power and that of his party’s while giving corporate interests private access to steer the wheels of government at the expense of citizens.

 

Americans deserve better from Congress than the culture of corruption and arrogance that DeLay and the majority party have installed. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should work together to clean up the corruption and remove the corporate influence that keeps Congress from solving the real problems Americans face every day while it doles out billions to big corporations.

 

Corruption is not based on party affiliation, but there is one party in charge in Washington, and that party has the power to enact change. It should act immediately to do two things. One, replace the dysfunctional ethics committee with an independent agency that actually investigates corruption in a nonpartisan way. Two, enact legislation that reforms the corrupt lobbying system and returns the government to the people.

 

Until the ethics process is overhauled, an immediate step the House ethics committee should take is to institute a thorough investigation of various other allegations involving DeLay, including that he granted legislative favors to Westar Energy in exchange for a $25,000 contribution to one of the political action committees at the heart of the Texas investigation. The committee also should closely examine DeLay’s relationship and dealings with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who seems to be at the center of multiple scandals involving Republican politicians.

[Guest John Lapp]

I'm writing to invite you to come to Democratic Headquarters and meet Nick Lampson, the proud Democrat who will defeat Tom DeLay. Nick Lampson stands in stark contrast to the culture of corruption of Tom DeLay. Nick was a stalwart of Democratic values until Tom DeLay used his corrupt redistricting scheme to take his seat out from under him. Nick Lampson is not asking DeLay to resign; he will remove DeLay from Congress the old-fashioned way - at the ballot box.

 

The event, which will be held on October 18th, will be the kick-off for Lampson Victory 2006, an unprecedented national effort to defeat DeLay and elect a Democratic Congress. The DCCC and Lampson for Congress have combined forces and formed a joint committee to deliver victories in 2006!

[Guest JH]

All Thunder, No Lightning

 

This cartoon by Dick Wright nicely sums up the Democrats' case against Tom DeLay.

[Guest Delay NOT Guilty]

Ronnie Earle argues that Tom DeLay conspired to make a contribution to a political party in violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no contribution to a political party in violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy. Ronnie Earle is wrong on the facts. Ronnie Earle is wrong on the law.

 

According to the indictment, the conspiracy was to unlawfully make a political contribution of corporate funds to a political party within 60 days of an election.

The Texas Election Code clearly states that "A corporation or labor organization may not knowingly make a contribution [to a political party] during a period beginning on the 60th day before the date of a general election for state and county officers and continuing through the day of the election." Title 15, Texas Election Code, 253.104. Texas law also states in part that "A person commits criminal conspiracy if, with intent that a felony be committed: (1) he agrees with one or more persons that they or one or more of them engage in conduct that would constitute the offense; and (2) he or one or more of them performs an overt act in pursuance of the agreement."

 

No corporation or labor organization was indicted in this conspiracy. Neither Jim Ellis nor John Colyandro is a corporation or labor organization.

 

No corporation or labor organization made a contribution during 60 days of an election.

 

What constitutes a contribution under the Texas Election Code is not strictly defined.

 

Neither the RNC nor RNSEC constitute a political party under Texas election law. They are considered PACs, just as the DNC is.

 

Corporations in Texas could have legally made contributions to the RNC or RNSEC during the period in question under Texas election law.

 

There was no violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy. The underlying transaction was legal. Had corporations sent money directly to the RNC or RNSEC, the transaction would be legal. How could anyone conspire to do indirectly what could legally have been done directly?

[Guest Kerry Rogers]

Here is some funny Tom Delay satire my buddy emailed me.

 

"They shut down Pennsylvania Avenue because of a suspicious package, did you hear about that? Turns out it was just a big bag of laundered money for Tom DeLay." --David Letterman

 

"We're learning more and more about Tom Delay. ... He was nicknamed, 'Hot Tub Tom,' got kicked out of Baylor for drinking and ... became a wild party animal who drank 10 martinis a night, or as they call it in Washington, a Kennedy." --Jay Leno

 

"Don't kid yourself, this is serious. If convicted, Tom DeLay could end up with his own TV show. Two indictments in two weeks. See, this is something that could give Congress a bad name." --David Letterman

 

"Today a Texas grand jury indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme. This is the most embarrassing thing to happen to the Republicans since yesterday." --Jay Leno

 

"Tom DeLay said he had a new priority in life -- outlawing prison rape." --Jay Leno

 

"Remember when Republicans, like Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston, when they got in trouble it was for sex scandals? See Tom DeLay is in trouble for money. Or as Republicans would call it -- this is a return to traditional values." --Jay Leno

 

"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says he is innocent of all wrongdoing and is the victim of a plot by the Democrats. Fox News does too; they've been spinning this story so hard they had to give the staff Dramamine today." --Jimmy Kimmel

 

"It has now been revealed that a Washington lobbyist personally paid for Tom DeLay's trips using his own credit card. Even more embarrassing, the lobbyist also put the purchase of Tom DeLay on his credit card." --Jay Leno

 

"Big scare down in Washington earlier today. Turned out it was a false alarm. What it was was a lobbyist airlifting money to Tom DeLay." --David Letterman

 

"Did you know today was take your daughter to work day? Tom DeLay celebrated by taking his daughter to work. He also took his wife, two cousins, and a couple lobbyists" --Jay Leno

 

"Bush was briefly moved to an underground bunker when an aircraft entered restricted airspace over Washington. ... A false alarm -- it was just Tom DeLay on another free trip paid for by lobbyists." --Jay Leno

 

"It's spring time. It was so nice in Washington Tom DeLay was accepting cash in the park." --David Letterman

 

"A man in West Bend, Wisconsin who bought a shirt at the local goodwill store found $2,000 stuffed inside the pocket, isn't that amazing? The more amazing part is how did one of Tom DeLay's old shirts wind up in Wisconsin?" --Jay Leno

 

"Down in Washington D.C. the feds jumped a guy who was behaving suspiciously and carrying two large suitcases. Turns out it kind of had a funny ending: he's not a terrorist and the suitcases were full of cash for Tom Delay." --David Letterman

 

"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned Iraq's new leaders against hiring their friends and family members for government jobs, and then Majority Leader Tom Delay gave the rebuttal." --Jay Leno

 

"It was reported that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay took several ethically questionable golf trips paid for by foreign lobbyists and that his wife and daughter were paid $500,000 from his own political action committee. DeLay referred to the allegations as 'just another seedy attempt by the liberal media to embarrass me with my own actions words and illegal doings.'" —-Tina Fey

 

"Tom DeLay is in a little bit of trouble. He says he didn't know that lobbying groups were illegally funding the trips he took all over the world. Don't you love this? When ever these guys are running for office they always tell us how smart they are, how knowledgeable they are, how they know what's going on. As soon as they get caught doing something wrong 'I'm an idiot. I didn't know what was going on.'" —-Jay Leno