Posted September 28, 200519 yr DeLay Is Charged With Criminal Conspiracy in Texas WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 - Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the powerful House Republican majority leader, was accused by a Texas grand jury today of criminal conspiracy in a campaign fund-raising scheme. Mr. DeLay was indicted on one count charging that he violated state election laws in September 2002. Two political associates, John D. Colyandro and James W. Ellis, were indicted with him. The indictment of Mr. DeLay, while not entirely unexpected, still reverberated through the Capitol. The House Republican rules require a member of the leadership to step down, at least temporarily, if indicted. A conviction on the charge against Mr. DeLay, 58, carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The lawmaker has consistently maintained his innocence and today once again asserted that the Travis County district attorney, Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, has been pursuing him for political reasons in a "purely political investigation." "These charges have no basis in the facts or the law," Mr. DeLay said in a statement issued by his Congressional office. "This is just another example of Ronnie Earle misusing his office for partisan vendettas. At the White House, the president's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, expressed support for Mr. Delay, telling reporters, "Mr. Delay is a good ally and a leader who we have worked closely with for the good of the American people." "The president's view is to let the legal process work," Mr. McClellan said. "There's a legal process and we're going to let it work." Mr. DeLay is second only to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Illinois in power in the House of Representatives and has been credited with shepherding much of his party's legislative programs through Congress. He has also been seen as a key in expanding the Republican majority in the House, which now stands at 231 to 202 Democrats, with one independent and one vacancy. The indictment today came just three weeks after a political organization formed by Mr. DeLay, Texans for a Republican Majority, was indicted on charges of taking illegal corporate money while Mr. DeLay was helping Republicans win control of the Texas Legislature as well as strengthening their hold on Congress. The DeLay organization was charged with accepting a contribution of $100,000 from the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care and one of $20,000 from AT&T. A statewide business group, the Texas Association of Business, was also charged. State law prohibits use of corporate contributions to advocate the election or defeat of state candidates, and prosecutors accuse the DeLay organization of engaging in a complex scheme to circumvent the law. Mr. DeLay, who has also come under fire from the House ethics committee, will not have to leave his post as the congressman from Texas's 22d District, near Houston, as a result of the indictment. But by his having to step down from his leadership position, his power will be vastly diminished, at least for the time being. Mr. DeLay has won the grudging respect of Democrats for his effectiveness, not only in pushing legislation through the House but for helping to strengthen the Republican majority. In Texas, he helped to engineer a redistricting plan that boosted the Texas Republican majority to 21-11 in the current Congress. Mr. DeLay's troubles come at an awkward time for Republicans, as President Bush is sagging in public opinion surveys and as the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, has been defending himself against questions about the timing of the sale of stock in a family-owned business. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/politics...artner=homepage
September 28, 200519 yr I love how he's trying to spin this into a partisan war, and that the prosecutor is out to get him. He has prosecuted more democrats than he has Republicans, the guy is a complete scumbag and this is just one of the few scandals he has been involved in. This is going to have The Pandora's box effect and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
September 28, 200519 yr Notice how no conservatives have voiced their opinion on the liberal conspiracy... :mischief2
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