DeLay indicted.
- Thread starter mfree
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MeekAndMild
New member
Should be interesting. Hope he doesn't pull the old Martha Stewart gambit.
Based on what I've read, seen and heard on this, the indictment is pure B.S.
Delay helped, and gave advice, to set up a company to raise money for the GOP. At the time, soft money (from businesses) wasn't allowed to be used to fund STATE campaigns. Only hard money (from individuals) was allowed for this. Delay had no further involvement in the company that raised the money other than setting it up. He was not financially involved nor managerial in the company but was on an unpaid advisory panel/committee that had no pwr to implement anything.
The company got soft money and forwarded it to the national party HQ. This was legal and was intended to be legal under the campaign finance laws. Meanwhile, the national committee sent soft money funds to help elect State candidates. This was also legal and expected under the laws & rules. This was not a case of "swapping" the money as the funds sent to the State campaigns were originally intended to be sent to the State campaigns and not held at the national level.
This type of campaign financing was done by BOTH Dems and Republicans at the time. Again, it was legal and expected.
Delay has been indicted with consipiracy to exchange the soft money for hard money. Since all transactions were legal at the time nor considered to be a "swap", the indictment won't hold IMO.
All this really did was oust Delay from his House leadership position. Which was all it was probably intended to do in the first place.
Delay helped, and gave advice, to set up a company to raise money for the GOP. At the time, soft money (from businesses) wasn't allowed to be used to fund STATE campaigns. Only hard money (from individuals) was allowed for this. Delay had no further involvement in the company that raised the money other than setting it up. He was not financially involved nor managerial in the company but was on an unpaid advisory panel/committee that had no pwr to implement anything.
The company got soft money and forwarded it to the national party HQ. This was legal and was intended to be legal under the campaign finance laws. Meanwhile, the national committee sent soft money funds to help elect State candidates. This was also legal and expected under the laws & rules. This was not a case of "swapping" the money as the funds sent to the State campaigns were originally intended to be sent to the State campaigns and not held at the national level.
This type of campaign financing was done by BOTH Dems and Republicans at the time. Again, it was legal and expected.
Delay has been indicted with consipiracy to exchange the soft money for hard money. Since all transactions were legal at the time nor considered to be a "swap", the indictment won't hold IMO.
All this really did was oust Delay from his House leadership position. Which was all it was probably intended to do in the first place.
the indictment.
TheBluesMan
Moderator Emeritus
I just spent five minutes reading the idictment - I recommend that others do the same. Doesn't take long because, honestly, there isn't much there.
A charge of conspiracy is the worst I can find. Seems to me that conspiracy is the easiest thing to charge someone with if you think they might be involved, but can't prove it.
I expect Delay to be quickly acquitted and return to his position in the House of Representatives.
A charge of conspiracy is the worst I can find. Seems to me that conspiracy is the easiest thing to charge someone with if you think they might be involved, but can't prove it.
I expect Delay to be quickly acquitted and return to his position in the House of Representatives.
progunner1957
Moderator
Another groundless witch hunt, in hopes of somehow hurting Bush and/or the Republican's 2006 election results... :barf:
Hopefully, it will backfire like the "Bush military service" witch hunt did
IZinterrogator
New member
I'll agree with the first part, but return to his former position? Just ask Trent Lott how well that worked out for him.
Rebar, read the post again and don't overlook the 
, I believe it was said tongue in cheek 
.
The (what is he, the AG or ?) has been trying to get any R that he can get his hands on.
He did the same with Hutchinson but they didn't even get past the GJ.
If you can't beat them at the ballot box, beat them in court.
I still say get rid of them all (the pols with the exception of Ron Paul) and start over, we're going down the slippery slope a heck of allot faster and it doesn't matter which party, both are going in the same direction
.
Wayne
, I believe it was said tongue in cheek .The (what is he, the AG or ?) has been trying to get any R that he can get his hands on.
He did the same with Hutchinson but they didn't even get past the GJ.
If you can't beat them at the ballot box, beat them in court.
I still say get rid of them all (the pols with the exception of Ron Paul) and start over, we're going down the slippery slope a heck of allot faster and it doesn't matter which party, both are going in the same direction
.Wayne
MeekAndMild
New member
That indictment reads like the stuff that used to come out every year around election time where I used to live in the 60's. You'd get all this total crap and all these fabrications that hit the newspaper a week before the primary elections. Nobody ever prosecuted them because all the players: newspaper, mudslinger and victim, were all Democrats and good ole boys.
Lucky that the victim is Republican because that virtually guarantees a counter charge and possibly counter suits. It would be nice to see whoever made this up put in jail for a few years.
Lucky that the victim is Republican because that virtually guarantees a counter charge and possibly counter suits. It would be nice to see whoever made this up put in jail for a few years.
I don't know, I don't think so.
http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200509291814.asp
Sounds like someone went to the Moore school of lies and propaganda.
RE: Pest Control
I don't believe that owning a pest control company means you're stupid. My brother owns a pest control company and I believe that one of the things he possesses is an ability to take a risk. I don't believe that Tom Delay ever maintained a license from the Texas Structural Pest Control Board though. I think he just owns the company (or owned).
Oddly enough the prosecutor in Travis County has quite a record for going after Republicans but not much in the way of pursuing Democrats (not many of those in Texas, only in Travis County where you could get a jury that might go for this stuff).
Tom Delay is pretty much finished in the House. He might be reelected, but I don't see him getting his image back. Whata shame. I didn't even like Tom Delay but his attorney said something that really made sense: Politics should be done at the ballot box not in the jury box. Good point.
I don't believe that owning a pest control company means you're stupid. My brother owns a pest control company and I believe that one of the things he possesses is an ability to take a risk. I don't believe that Tom Delay ever maintained a license from the Texas Structural Pest Control Board though. I think he just owns the company (or owned).
Oddly enough the prosecutor in Travis County has quite a record for going after Republicans but not much in the way of pursuing Democrats (not many of those in Texas, only in Travis County where you could get a jury that might go for this stuff).
Tom Delay is pretty much finished in the House. He might be reelected, but I don't see him getting his image back. Whata shame. I didn't even like Tom Delay but his attorney said something that really made sense: Politics should be done at the ballot box not in the jury box. Good point.
TheBluesMan
Moderator Emeritus
amaverick said:
Do you believe that anyone under investigation is guilty? Your tone certainly suggests it.
Should his former career as the owner of a pest control company disqualify him from election to the House?
I don't see any abuse of power except on the part of the Travis County prosecutor.
amaverick - Please clarify your position. Some think you are being sarcastic. I honestly can't tell, so I take your words at face value.
-Dave
Just what is wrong with being a Pest Control Man????? 
At least DeLay had an honest job, unlike most of the politicians in DC.
Running a business where you have to compete in a free market and meet a payroll is far more honorable than running for office to get a job where you can legally fleece people of money to hand out to your lackeys.
I demand an apology
At least DeLay had an honest job, unlike most of the politicians in DC.
Running a business where you have to compete in a free market and meet a payroll is far more honorable than running for office to get a job where you can legally fleece people of money to hand out to your lackeys.
I demand an apology
Here is a clarification on my position on this. I will qualify this by saying I am an Independent voter, I belong to no political party. I am just a USA citizen, a DAV from the Vietnam War and I will call a spade a spade whenever. Possibly if you are rich and do not give a crap about this country you will not like this. I thought this was a forum on guns, not an extension of the RNC. If I was wrong I will refrain from posting any more. =) amaverick
"The [DeLay] indictment sent a shock wave through the GOP establishment, which is already reeling from a swath of criminal and ethics investigations. Three individuals, eight corporations and two political action committees connected to DeLay have been indicted as a result of the probe. In addition, the government's top procurement official, David Safavian, was arrested in September for obstructing a criminal investigation into über-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a close DeLay ally. Abramoff himself is under criminal investigation for defrauding Indian tribes and was indicted for wire fraud in Florida in a separate case. Top White House aides, including Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, have been targeted by a special prosecutor investigating the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Representative Duke Cunningham announced he would not run for re-election after overselling his house for $700,000 to a military industry lobbyist; he too has been indicted. FDA chief Lester Crawford resigned unexpectedly after just two months on the job, possibly because of failure to report his wife's sizable pharmaceutical-industry holdings. And DeLay's Senate counterpart, Bill Frist, is battling possible insider-trading charges for dumping millions in HCA stock, a company founded by his father and run by his brother, weeks before it plunged in value. The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into Frist and HCA in September.
"The [DeLay] indictment sent a shock wave through the GOP establishment, which is already reeling from a swath of criminal and ethics investigations. Three individuals, eight corporations and two political action committees connected to DeLay have been indicted as a result of the probe. In addition, the government's top procurement official, David Safavian, was arrested in September for obstructing a criminal investigation into über-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a close DeLay ally. Abramoff himself is under criminal investigation for defrauding Indian tribes and was indicted for wire fraud in Florida in a separate case. Top White House aides, including Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, have been targeted by a special prosecutor investigating the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Representative Duke Cunningham announced he would not run for re-election after overselling his house for $700,000 to a military industry lobbyist; he too has been indicted. FDA chief Lester Crawford resigned unexpectedly after just two months on the job, possibly because of failure to report his wife's sizable pharmaceutical-industry holdings. And DeLay's Senate counterpart, Bill Frist, is battling possible insider-trading charges for dumping millions in HCA stock, a company founded by his father and run by his brother, weeks before it plunged in value. The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into Frist and HCA in September.