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Tom DeLay Convicted by Texas Jury, Thank You Ronnie Earle


Six years ago Tom DeLay was publicly crowing about the Republican "permanent majority". Seven years ago he told a man who asked him to put out a cigar, "I AM the federal government."

Today a jury of his peers has convicted him of felony money laundering.

The Department of Justice, despite having convicted criminal-lobbyist turned informer Jack Abramoff set up with a desk of his own at the DoJ, dropped the investigation of DeLay's many many crimes three years ago. But one Texas prosecutor with a naive sense of justice pressed charges against DeLay in a much tougher case and today a tiny bit of justice was done. Here's to you Ronnie Earle! Well done and at great personal cost.

I wrote at some length about the underhanded process the Albert Gonzales/Karl Rove DoJ used to remove the lead prosecutor from the DeLay case here. Basically instead of firing him the way they did most of the other prosecutors who were investigating corrupt GOP congressmen in that period, they made a deal with Harry Reid and got the guy a judgeship then replaced him with a party apparatchik. The fact that Obama applied their "let's not bicker and argue about who killed who" philosophy to DeLay and the rest of his criminal coterie is just one of their many sins of omission.

But here's some sweet vindication for those who clung to the belief that someone who committed so many egregious crimes as DeLay would someday see justice. I'd also like to commend my friend the late Kelly Fero who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring press attention to DeLay's crimes and Fred Lewis the activist who actually spotted the $190,000 discrepancy in the TRMPAC records and Richard Morrison who ran a quixotic campaign against DeLay in 2004 that led directly to his downfall.
There were also literally dozens of activists, mostly volunteers, some pros who fought tirelessly against DeLay Inc for years, both in Texas and nationally. The peerless Juanita -- a blogger right in his district -- Glenn Smith, Charles Kuffner, David Donnolly, Howard Dean, Josh Marshall among many many others. None of these people got any credit or thanks from the media or the political establishment, in fact they are all treated like pariahs for trying to stop the bi-partisan money go round. But today we all win.


Nat Wilson Turner November 24, 2010 - 8:28pm
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( categories: Miscellany )

With all the commendable hard work...

...I still have me doubts Delay will ever see the prison cell he deserves...

I'll need to read more to see if he was convicted on Texas state charges or Federal. If Federal, then chances are so much the better.

If state charges are what the conviction is for, I foresee a high probability that Governor GoodHair may pardon him or commute any sentence, lest The Hammer decide it's be more in his interest (or just more malicious 'fun') to turn State's Evidence and we get to see if he sings better than he danced. After all, high-ranking Republicans tend to protect their own, and there are far too many closets that Delay has keys to, that contain skeletons best left undiscovered (to their minds)

This tree hasn't begin to really shake yet...can't wait to see what falls out.

"If Stupidity got us into this mess, why can't it get us out?" -- Will Rogers

justadood November 24, 2010 - 11:37pm
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it's all strictly state

and I truly would not be surprised by any stunt pulled by Perry. But let's not forget how even handed the federal courts are -- Bush v Gore much?
even if it's thrown out on Monday -- for one long holiday weekend DeLay has to face the possibility of a life sentence. Think about that!
This is after 5 years of saying the whole thing was trumped up nonsense. 12 citizens listened to the evidence and ruled him GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY

Nat Wilson Turner November 25, 2010 - 12:41am
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12 citizens

Give a jury a fair shot at the evidence and they'll make the right choice most of the time. This is telling. DeLay is not a felon. wonder if he'll do time? Thanks for the good news.

Added: "Why can't we be friends?"

Michael Collins November 25, 2010 - 1:37am
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Even in Texas...

Pardoning DeLay would be a bad political move for governor Good Hair. Besides, if Perry ever wants to be president, he's got to worry not just about opinions in Texas, but also in the states he might be able to win in a presidential bid. He doesn't want "the guy that pardoned Tom DeLay" to be an albatross around his neck.

DeLay's best hope is for a corrupt Republican appellate "judge" to throw out his conviction on some bullshit rationale. Much more likely; this is why Republicans install cronies to pose as judges.
.
Cows get milked, rubes get bilked,
And fat cats dine on fools and cream.

Jimbo92107 November 25, 2010 - 1:30pm
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Juanita is priceless.

I guess she does blue hairs.

http://mauberly.blogspot.com/

mauberly November 25, 2010 - 1:55am
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This is a Thanksgiving weekend to make

me give thanks that, that in a world turned on its head, some semblance of sanity still lingers:

1) Tom DeLay -- the second best-named GOP politician (after, of course, Dick Armey) has his TG weekend ruined by his own hand, facing serious jail time for his depredations.
2) On a more trivial note, Bristol Palin lost on DWTS despite the most rigorous ballot-box-stuffing efforts of her mom's Teabagger fan club.

Happy Free Food For The Poor Day everyone!

"I shall continue to be an impossible person as long as those who are now possible remain possible."

-- Mikhail Bakunin

spaceman_spiff November 25, 2010 - 2:07am
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He is republican

so he will be pardoned and start campaigning on the same day.

Tina November 25, 2010 - 2:27am
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I wish Pandora's box could be opened...

and some prosecutor would go after all the crimes committed by federal politicians under Bush II.

The federal government would collapse. So few of the professional pols would be electable it would cause a nearly entire government changeover. I know...dream on!

By refusing to investigate and prosecute, Obama has damaged the country even more. It's not a sin of omission. Not prosecuting these creeps has a direct and damaging effect on you amd me personally, and on the country as a whole.

It's not ignorance. Obama knows the consequences that would unfold and he has made a deliberate, conscious, and fully informed choice to not seek justice. Believe me, he has has thought this through.

He says he doesn't think about Sarah Palin, but if she's nominated, he'll be thanking the heavens, because he will be hard-pressed if the GOP actually finds a candidate that's not either a pure 100% nimcompoop or a stooge.

But don't bank on it. The GOP kingmakers are ever perfecting the art of finding the Perfect Stooge.

yogi-one November 25, 2010 - 2:53am
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a sin of omission can still be a capitol crime

I think you added a qualitative interpretation to my use of the term "sin of omission" -- that just means sinning by failing to do something needed, still a grave grave sin.
You are absolutely correct that it's the shits for Obama to ignore the crimes committed in the Bush years. Fucking grievous.

Nat Wilson Turner November 26, 2010 - 4:31pm
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What's that you say? There IS a god?

Well, I'll be damned.

Now that we're on a roll, where IS that pesky Rumsfeld, anyhow? .

""If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?" - Will Rogers (1879-1935)

Chickadee November 27, 2010 - 2:20am
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