October 06, 2005
A Texas prosecutor tried to convince a grand jury that Representative Tom DeLay gave tacit approval to a series of laundered campaign contributions, and when jurors declined to indict, he became angry, according to two people 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 two people interviewed, who 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 person 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 donations to Texas legislative candidates in violation of state law.
The person said that Earle tried to convince the jurors that if DeLay ''didn't say 'Stop it,' he gave his tacit approval."
After the grand jurors declined to go forward, the mood ''was unpleasant," the other person said, describing Earle's reaction.
In other words, the grand jury that heard all the evidence determined there was no crime in DeLayÂ’s activities, but that was not good enough for Ronnie Earle. He therefore went to a grand jury that heard only cherry-picked elements of the case to secure the indictment that the better-informed grand jury refused to issue.
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Posted by: at Thu Oct 6 12:36:58 2005 (jU/el)
The problem was that the Democrats are all in the far past, and were all folks who were running against candidates he supported. He used his office to bring charges against his political enemies at a time when they were still in the Democrat Party.
If you were someone who lived in Texas, or who had done a little research, you would know that.
Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Thu Oct 6 14:00:00 2005 (wfdL5)
Posted by: at Thu Oct 6 15:10:03 2005 (Oqxq2)
Nameless coward are you?
Posted by: mcconnell at Thu Oct 6 16:01:47 2005 (o58ig)
Posted by: RHymes With Right at Thu Oct 6 16:54:29 2005 (N3x4T)
Posted by: ikele 76 at Sat Oct 8 06:08:27 2005 (xW3w3)
Posted by: James H. Pierce at Sat Oct 8 08:31:07 2005 (foso/)
Posted by: Mike Haskins at Sat Oct 8 08:43:56 2005 (REJwo)
Posted by: Michael Haskins at Sat Oct 8 08:46:17 2005 (REJwo)
1) What do you expect him to do when he is indicted on a charge that did not even exist at the time he supposedly did the act -- sit quietly by and allow the prosecution to continue? Did you expect him to remain quiet when the prosecutor engaged in unethical -- and likely illegal -- activity with regards to securing the indictment? In such a case it is appropriate to go on the offensive.
2) Last time I checked, treason is clearly defined in Article III of the US Constitution, as is the standard for proving it. Insofar as i can tell, no one in the plame case has made war on the United States, adhered to the enemies of the United States (well, maybe Wilson did) or given them aid and comfort. I do not believe there are two witnesses to the same overt act. Therefore there could never be a conviction that would pass Constitutional muster.
3) Why not let DeLay go on trial? Simple -- because I don't believe that someone should have to defend themselves from a legally insufficient indictment. Such indictments are the stock-in-trade of the American Left -- witness the Ray Donovan trial during the Reagan Administration for an earlier example.
Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Sat Oct 8 09:06:11 2005 (F3Bvt)
Seems to me the evidence weighs more against Ronnie Earle at political hacking and prosecutorial misconduct than there is evidence of DeLay of money laundering. Earle's actions alone seemed to have did him in where he has tried for so long to come up with a charge just enough to get DeLay to step down as the House majority leader. Knowing full well that even if DeLay does clear his name, he would unable to return to his seat in time.
Now, looking in the past, not only did he indict Kay Bailey Hutchison within days after she won her Senate seat (the first such seat occupied by a Republican since 1875), but he also "investigated" or indicted Democrats who managed to get on his wrong side, like Gib Lewis, who once ran against Earle for office, and Bob Bullock, the Democrat political mentor of President Bush.
At a recent Democrat fundraiser, Earle compared Tom DeLay to a bully. Such a thing is not only in bad taste, but is probably also illegal, since the ABA's Canon of Ethics prohibits extra-judicial statements concerning "the character...of the accused" or "any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the accused, the evidence, or the merits of the case." Apparently, Earle is using his power to prosecute DeLay in the media before he tries to prosecute him in court. The potential for contaminating the jury pool is mind-boggling. It would be nice to bring down Ronnie Earle on ethics charges. Such a thing could happen -- Tom DeLay is a tough fighter and Ronnie Earle just may have met his match.
(from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493863/posts)
For Earle's antics alone on how he abused the court system and should be disbarred.
Send in your complaints regarding Earle to the Texas Bar Association demanding he be disbarred.
The required grievance form, download the document here:
http://www.law.uh.edu/libraries/ethics/attydiscipline/howfile.html
Address to send it:
http://www.texasbar.com/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=3961&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm
It ain't over folks. Just as when bloggers do find the truth as they did on Rather's fakey Bush Memo case, they'll get to the bottom of it and show the true light of Earle's poltical hacking career.
Posted by: mcconnell at Sat Oct 8 10:38:44 2005 (CQ3Yp)
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