A Travis County jury today found former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay guilty of political money laundering charges relating to a corporate money swap in the 2002 elections.
The verdict came down five years after DeLay was forced to step down as the second most powerful Republican in the U.S. House. The charges also led DeLay to resign from his Sugar Land congressional seat in 2006.
DeLay was accused of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On the conspiracy charge, DeLay faces a sentence of two to 20 years in prison and five to 99 years or life in prison on the money laundering count…
At the center of the case against DeLay was an exchange of $190,000 in corporate donations to TRMPAC for an equal amount of money donated by individuals to the Republican National Committee. The RNC money was given to seven Texas candidates specified by TRMPAC.
Corporate money cannot be used in candidate campaigns in Texas.
It’s nice to be able to say something positive about a Texas jury.
I’ll bet he is real sorry too..damn Tie is in black in white, but I bet it bleeds Republipuke Red.
It is Texas, after all. I doubt if he’ll ever do a day of time in the slammer.
“DeLay faces a sentence of two to 20 years in prison and five to 99 years or life in prison on the money laundering count…”
So basically he’ll be let off with a slap to the wrist then.
This is a sad day. All Tom was try to do was represent the hyper-rich. Is sad because now they don’t have a voice.
Good omen.
Rangel, now DeLay. I like holding our “representatives” accountable.
“It’s nice to be able to say something positive about a Texas jury.” /// Ha, Ha. Good one Eideard–always looking on the positive side of things.
Not as “relevant” as it could be, but I’m in mind of thinking as the Pukes as actually the fringe element of the CONSERVATIVE (vs liberal/Democrap party) which makes this fringe element being taken over by the even more fringey TEABAGGERS even more destructive.
I used to be “embarassed” my country could produce a viable political party called the Pukes==but now, I am down right ASHAMED we have spawned the teabaggers.
America–sure does allow the best and WORST in hooman nature to manifest itself.
Ohhhhh, the horror.
Stupid Evil Hoomans.
I love the fact his convict number ends in “GOP”. Could that have been intentional I wonder?
This a fake mug shot? or is it just a coincidence that it says GOP on the board in this mugshot?
Give him life. He’s an Ahole.
Ah_Yea says Rangel, now DeLay. I like holding our “representatives” accountable.
Rangle gets a reprimand in his personnel folder. DeLay faces prison. Sounds fair to thieving liberal.
For that hair alone, he deserves life.
A dishonest turd, through and through. Tom Delay is emblematic of the “repress-the-publicans”!
Tom couldn’t win an honest election (again emblematic of his party).
He was king of redistricting manipulation and a politician’s politician who know how to pick the voters, instead; of honestly representing his district.
Justice has been served in Texas, how ironic and refreshing!
While other fair-weather friends may forsake Delay now that he’s a convicted felon, I see that his true friends over at the Center For Christian Statesmanship have remained steadfast in their support, at least insofar as they haven’t yet rescinded Delay’s “Distinguished Christian Statesman” award from 2002 or taken down his special web page:
http://statesman.org/awarddelay.html
Perhaps if he demonstrates good behavior while incarcerated, the warden will let him decorate his cell with that coveted award as a daily reminder that he is really just a martyr persecuted for doing the Lord’s work.
The Hammer nailed. Sometimes juries (Texas and otherwise) get it right.
>> TruthBeTold said, on November 24th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
>> Rangle gets a reprimand in his personnel folder. DeLay faces prison. Sounds fair to thieving liberal.
False analogy.
The much closer analogy is between Rengle and ethics charges against Newt Gingrich.
But of course, this new right wing talking point, “Oh they are all the same” is everywhere these days.
Gary, the dangerous infidel said,
You make good points. The mainstream media generally didn’t highlight how hard Tom Delay played the Evangelical family values moralist card.
In my Evangelical Christian circles, you couldn’t get away from this crook.
He played the “persecuted Christian” card very hard and claimed that charges against him where part of a larger attack on Christianity in America. Or, the charges where simply because he was such an outspoken Evangelical Christian.
This guy is scum. He was part of a clique that raised money by pumping Indian casinos and Pacific island sweatshops.
Hot tub Tom.
This is NOT, in fact the actual mugshot. Product of Whitehouse.org – a leftie site that sells t-shirts and such. Here is the actual mugshot:
http://thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/tom-delay-mug-shot#lightbox-popup-1
I think the jury got it wrong, though probably because of faulty instructions from the judge.
I predict this is overturned on repeal.
This is not based on an analysis of the evidence, but the charge. If he is guilty of anything it would be violations of campaign finance law. Money laundering is a major stretch.
If you rob a bank or sell drugs, then try to move the money around, so what you have on hand is legit, that is money laundering.
To take legal actions of people donating money, and move this money between accounts. That doesn’t strike me as money laundering, which starts with a criminal act.
Another shining example of the party of family values.
Not surprised and note he was the LEADER of the party. ’nuff said.
Bug exterminator -> criminal -> GOP party leader -> banished from Congress -> Dancing with the Stars -> Jail time.
Good riddance, Tommy…let us know how it feels being someone else’s bitch for a change.
Getting much less of the attention in this case is the larger problem that still remains in our political system. The party that controls the redistricting process in the states is the party that exerts inordinate influence over the outcome of elections for the subsequent 10 years by drawing district lines in their favor. This was the goal in Texas.
“The will of the people” is always an enticing phrase, but it is one of the less important considerations in the all-out competition of an election where voting is not compulsory. Most party officials I’ve seen would do a happy-dance if all the opposition had flat tires and didn’t make it to the polls on election day, and it wouldn’t deter them a bit from claiming a popular mandate for their policies.
“By hook or by crook” is the phrase that comes to mind.
No pardon for this turkey. Off with his head .
How nice–it only took 5 years to get the case tried. The American Justice System really is the best that money can buy.
>> MikeN said, on November 25th, 2010 at 8:42 am
>> I think the jury got it wrong, though probably because of faulty instructions from the judge.
>> If he is guilty of anything it would be violations of campaign finance law. Money laundering is a major stretch.
Do you have some sort of insider information?
The reports in the media sure make him look guilty which is all any of us can go on.
The bigger question seems to be “what laws did he break?” but rather “what the heck was he thinking?”
My sense is that Tom DeLay thought he was untouchable.
It’s hard to understate how much power he had in the GOP and he may have thought this protected him in a place like Texas.
>Do you have some sort of insider information?
No, just going off the facts on wikipedia and elsewhere. Money laundering is the laundering of the proceeds of a criminal activity. Here he is moving money around to get around campaign finance law, but not actually starting with a criminal action.
Give him 99 years at hard labor!
# 28 MikeN,
Just another conservative trying to aquite a criminal on a technicality. I am sure you where saying the same thing with O.J.
He’s guilty, plain and simple. The jury of his peers and people he represented, obviously don’t agree with you.
Okay so he was convicted of using corporate money for campaigning?
Didn’t Fed Law and the supreme court just become that this was legal? If so is he being nailed because it wasn’t legal at the time? Just asking.