Jury convicts DeLay in money laundering trial

[busterb]

Nov 24, 6:02 PM (ET)


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A jury in Texas has convicted former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on charges he illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. Delay was once one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress. He now faces up to life in prison.

Jurors in Austin deliberated for 19 hours before returning guilty verdicts on Wednesday on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors say the former Houston-area congressman used his political action committee to illegally channel $190,000 in corporate donations into Texas legislative races through a money swap.

DeLay and his attorneys maintained no corporate funds went to Texas candidates and the money swap was legal.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Can Bush write retroactive pardons?

[busterb]

Someone wishes !!!

[Pico and ME]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Can Bush write retroactive pardons?

I bet Obama does it in good faith bipartisan spirit.

[Lamplighter]

There's a lot of irony in Delay's remarks

NYTimes

A few minutes later, Mr. DeLay said outside the courtroom that he would appeal the decision.
He called the prosecution a political vendetta by Democrats in the local district attorney’s office, and revenge for
his role in orchestrating the 2003 redrawing of Congressional districts to elect more Republicans.

“This is an abuse of power,” he said. “It’s a miscarriage of justice. I still maintain my innocence.
The criminalization of politics undermines our very system.”

You don't know whether to laugh or cry about Texas politics.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by busterb

He now faces up to life in prison.

Life? I know Texas justice is harsh (read 'crazy') but f**king LIFE?

Did they find the money piled up on the bodies of dead illegal aliens?

Nah, DeLay is more of a "catch, (work on my garden for 50 cents an hour) and release" kind of guy.

Smug bastard. He doesn't deserve life, but as the British say "someone wants a slap".

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

There's a lot of irony in Delay's remarks

NYTimes


You don't know whether to laugh or cry about Texas politics.

Yer damn skippy. I heard him say that on the radio, and thought, God Bless America, where anyone can sue anyone, say any goddamn thing they want. The land of the free and the home of the brave, where you too can spin your own private reality for just the cost of a press release.

What a hypocrite.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Life? I know Texas justice is harsh (read 'crazy') but f**king LIFE?

Right, it's not like he did something really serious, like steal the government from the people and sell it to deep pockets.
Oh wait, he did.

[classicman]

Yup - make an example of him, I say. Throw the fucker away and take every fuckin thing he owns - every goddamn penny.

[Lamplighter]

Community service is what he needs... ridding us of the bed bug infestations.

[classicman]

This seems as good a place as any to put this...

2 House ethics attorneys suspended

Two attorneys for the House ethics committee have been placed on indefinite “paid administrative leave” stemming from serious problems within the secretive panel.

Morgan Kim, the deputy chief counsel and the lead attorney on the case of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), is one of the attorneys placed on leave, said several sources familiar with the controversy.

Stacy Sovereign, another committee lawyer, was also put on leave, these sources said.

Blake Chisam, the chief counsel and staff director for the ethics panel, initially sought to fire Kim and Sovereign on Nov. 19, but was unable to do so.

However, the two attorneys are no longer assigned to any active cases, said the sources.

The ethics committee declined to comment on Kim's or Sovereign’s status, saying it does not speak publicly about internal committee issues or personnel status.

The ethics committee recently scored a huge victory when Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) was found guilty on 11 charges of violating House ethics rules. Rangel is expected to be censured by as early as Wednesday.

But the ethics committee has postponed an ethics trial for Waters, which was scheduled to begin Nov. 29. The delay angered Waters, who has publicly declared that she wants her case resolved before the end of this year. Waters has been charged with three counts of violating ethics rules for allegedly improperly intervening in late 2008 on behalf of a minority owned bank where her husband owned more than $350,000 worth of stock.

Waters and her chief of staff, Mikael Moore, have vehemently denied any accusation of wrongdoing and have sought to move forward an ethics trial for the California Democrat.

It is unclear if the decision to place Kim and Sovereign on paid leave was related to the Waters’ case or another matter, although they were placed in that status on the same day that Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), the chairwoman and ranking member of the committee, announced the Waters’ trial was delayed. The committee announced that it had new information, including e-mails from Moore, that would have an impact on the Waters’ matter.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Drain the swamp...

[TheMercenary]

[conspiracytheory]It makes you wonder if they were slipping Waters info on the side.[/conspiracytheory]