Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Tom DeLay's Felony Trial Marches On

One conspiracy charge has been dropped, but the more serious money laundering and conspiracy charge will go to trial.

The decision moves DeLay and his co-defendants, the Republican fundraisers John Colyandro and James Ellis, a big step closer to facing trial, perhaps as soon as January.

The charges involve $190,000 that the state says was collected from corporate donors in 2002 and, in violation of Texas election and money-laundering laws, routed through Republican political action committees to seven Republicans running for the Texas House. The judge ruled that the conspiracy provisions of the state election code did not take effect until a year after the charged violations. But he rejected defense challenges to the money-laundering charges and ruled that they could go to trial.


And in a case on interesting timing, this ruling came out just as a $500.00 plate Tom DeLay fundraiser was about to start, with featured guest speaker, Dick Cheney.


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Money and power are the only goals of the current leadership of the Pubs

Anonymous said...

Did DeLay hire a "conservative" to defend him in this "red" state? No, he hired the best defense lawyer around, Dick DeGurin who is a Democrat and a damn smart criminal lawyer. But I don't think DeGurin can save DeLay if the trial is in Austin. The jury there will do what Janet Reno and the FBI did to the Branch Davidians. DeLay is going to feel the heat.

Jon said...

I can't argue with eiter of you. Both points dead on.