Think Progress

DeLay’s Smear Campaign Against Earle Unravels

Tom DeLay has used Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle’s indictment of former Texas attorney general Jim Mattox as proof that that Earle is a “liberal political fanatic.” Here’s DeLay on Fox News this Wednesday:

The political situation in Texas back in those days was conservative Democrats against liberal Democrats. He indicted the lieutenant governor, a conservative Democrat. He indicted Jim Mattox, the attorney general…This is just the sleaziest of politics. He is a fanatic, a liberal political fanatic.

Jim Mattox, however, has a much different view. Appearing on Fox and Friends this morning, he was asked if he thought Earle was politically motivated:

Watch in QT Streaming

I don’t think he’s overly political. I think he’s been, frankly, very tenacious about this and more tenacious than what most of us would have thought possible because Delay and his friends have spent probably $2 or $3 million on legal fees in an effort to try to hide the facts of this particular matter. I think that the facts in this particular case were so egregious that any district attorney should have taken a look at the matter.

DeLay Blames Indictment On Newspaper Editorial

Always one for finger-pointing, DeLay’s newest target in his fight against his criminal indictment? The Austin-American Statesman newspaper.

On September 28, responding to the criminal indictment, DeLay blamed a September 11 editorial by The Statesman:

(As) recently as two weeks ago, Mr. Earle himself publicly admitted I had never been a focus or target of his inquiry. Soon thereafter, Mr. Earle’s hometown newspaper ran a biting editorial about his investigation, rhetorically asking what the point had been, after all, if I wasn’t to be indicted….It was this renewed political pressure in the waning days of his hollow investigation that led this morning’s action.

A September 29 editorial in The Statesman responds:

A Sept. 11 American-Statesman editorial questioned why only the political action committees and not the individuals behind them had been indicted. DeLay was not mentioned by name, nor was there an allusion to him. It is either DeLay’s hubris or his conscience that leads him to think that the editorial targeted him.

The much-discussed September 11 editorial can be found here. As the paper’s editorial staff states, the editorial mentions several men by name, including indicted John Colyandro, but never mentions Tom DeLay.

Let’s recap: DeLay has now blamed The Austin-American Statesman, “unabashed partisan zealot” District Attorney Earle (the truth is here), a “runaway” grand jury, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the DCCC, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Democrats generally, and the rest of the news media.

Poor Tom DeLay.

Partisan Witchhunt? Foreman of “Runaway” Grand Jury Praises DeLay

The central pillar of Tom DeLay’s defense is that Travis Country prosecutor Ronnie Earle is an “unabashed partisan,” and that DeLay is being targeted because of his political success.

But Ronnie Earle didn’t issue the indictment against Tom DeLay. A grand jury did. And as it turns out, the jury foreman William Gibson is a former sheriff’s deputy who praises DeLay specifically for his “aggressiveness.” Via Billmon, we see that Gibson spoke out yesterday:

He did his duty and that bound him to look at Tom Delay as just another Texan accused of criminal conspiracy, [Gibson] said.

“I like his aggressiveness and everything, and I had nothing against the House majority man, but I felt that we had enough evidence, not only me, but the other grand jury members,” Gibson said.

The grand jury foreman also takes great exception to accusations that he and 11 other grand jury members followed the lead of Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle instead of following the evidence.

“It was not a rubber stamp deal. It was not an overnight deal. If we needed extra information, it was provided to us,” Gibson said. …

Gibson thinks there is enough evidence to convict Delay.

“We would not have handed down an indictment. We would have no-billed the man, if we didn’t feel there was sufficient evidence,” said Gibson.

DeLay Will Prove His Conspiracy Theories “When It’s Timely” »

Tom DeLay says he has “very good evidence” of a massive conspiracy between Ronnie Earle, Nancy Pelosi and other liberals. He just can’t release that information yet, can’t explain why he can’t and can’t say when he will be able to do so:

Watch DeLay: Quicktime Streaming

Transcript below: More »« Less

Bush Misleads on Progress in Iraq

President Bush, 9/28/05:

At this moment, more than a dozen Iraqi battalions have completed training and are conducting anti-terrorist operations in Ramadi and Fallujah. More than 20 battalions are operating in Baghdad. And some have taken the lead in operations in major sectors of the city. In total, more than 100 battalions are operating throughout Iraq. Our commanders report that the Iraqi forces are operating with increasing effectiveness.

Associated Press, 9/29/05:

The number of Iraqi battalions capable of combat without U.S. support has dropped from three to one, the top American commander in Iraq told Congress Thursday.

VIDEO: Tom DeLay Exercises His Right To Incriminate Himself

Criminally indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay yesterday laid out a strong case…against himself.

Each of the points below were spoken verbatim by DeLay during an interview last night on Fox News (we’ve compiled them all into a single video). If this is his “defense,” he’s in serious trouble.

Watch the DeLay compilation: Quicktime Streaming

– I have had ethics charges filed starting in 1993
– Again in 1995
– A racketeering suit right after that
– Some more ethics charges right after that
– This has been going on for two years, multiple grand juries, and then they come out with an indictment
– [The grand jury] asked me to come in. … Basically what I showed them was, yes, it was my idea to set up this political action committee
– It was my idea to set up TRMPAC
– I got it all organized
– I and four other elected officials were on an advisory board [of TRMPAC]
– I went to five fundraisers
– They did use my name to raise money
– They told me about it later, and then they would tell me things are going well
– Jim Ellis … also runs my ARMPAC
– Jim Ellis would let me know how things were going because was interested in how things are going and how much money they were raising
– The point here is is Texas deserved a Republican House of Representatives. The way you got change that was to take the majority in the Texas House, and that was my goal. It was successful
– Ronnie Earle let my lawyers know last week that I was going to be indicted
– I have hired Dick DeGuerin, who is my lawyer, who is the same lawyer that taught Ronnie Earle a lesson

DeLay Helps Earle Establish Motive

Either Tom DeLay isn’t taking Dick DeGuerin’s advice, or he needs to start scouring the yellow pages for a new lawyer.

Here’s what DeLay said last night in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity:

Ronnie Earle has established no intent, no motive to commit a crime.

But only minutes earlier, DeLay did a pretty good job establishing motive:

So we had an opportunity in 2002. I wanted to redistrict the congressional seats, so I wanted to make sure and help gain a majority in the Texas House. So I came up with this idea to form a political action committee to raise money to get into state representative races so that we could win seats.

We were successful. And after that, we were successful in a congressional redistricting to the tune of gaining five Republican seats and more fairly represent the values of the people of Texas.

I’m sure Earle appreciates the help.

BREAKING: After Indictment, DeLay Grossly Distorts Role With TRMPAC

Tom DeLay wants you to believe he was completely in the dark about TRMPAC’s activities. Here’s what DeLay said tonight on Hardball:

That’s TRMPAC. That’s not me…I was simply, along with four other elected officials, on an advisory board. They used my name as headliners for fundraisers and I had no idea what they were doing.

The facts suggest otherwise:

DELAY SAID TRMPAC WAS HIS IDEA: “U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, said Wednesday that it was his idea to create Texans for a Republican Majority.” [Austin American Statesman, 3/10/05]

DELAY ADMITTED HE WAS A “CREATOR, ADVISOR AND FUNDRAISER” FOR TRMPAC: “House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Wednesday he served as a creator, adviser and fund-raiser to a Texas-based political action committee now under state criminal investigation.” [Houston Chronicle, 3/10/04]

TRMPAC LITERATURE NAMES DELAY AS ORGANZATION “LEADER”: “Q: Who is Leading Texas for a Republican Majority? A: The leadership of the PAC includes Rep. Tom DeLay…” [TRMPAC, Q&A For Potential Media Inquires]

EVIDENCE SUGGESTS DELAY WAS INVOLVED IN COLLECTING CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS: “Documents, which were entered into evidence last week in a related civil trial in Austin, the state capital, suggest that Mr. DeLay personally forwarded at least one large corporate check to the committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, and that he was in direct contact with lobbyists for some of the nation’s largest companies on the committee’s behalf.” [New York Times, 3/9/05]

DELAY PARTICIPATED IN TRMPAC FINANCE COMMITTEE CONFERENCE CALLS [TRMPAC, 10/5/02]