Oh Beautiful Day! Tom DeLay Indicted

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay INDICTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, an indictment that could force him to step down as House majority leader.DeLay attorney Steve Brittain said DeLay was accused of a criminal conspiracy along with two associates, John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay’s national political committee.

The indictment against the second-ranking, and most assertive Republican leader came on the final day of the grand jury’s term. It followed earlier indictments of a state political action committee founded by DeLay and three of his political associates.

The grand jury action is expected to have immediate consequences in the House, where DeLay is largely responsible for winning passage of the Republican legislative program. House Republican Party rules require leaders who are indicted to temporarily step aside from their leadership posts.

The chickens finally came home to roost.

Note that the “House Republican Party rules requir[ing] leaders who are indicted to temporarily step aside from their leadership posts,” of which the article speaks so proudly (as if it showed that Republicans took strong stands on ethics issues) are exactly the rules that the Republicans changed earlier in the year:

The vote planned for later this week will mark the second time in four months that House Republicans have changed a rule but then changed it back under public pressure because the changes were perceived as designed to protect DeLay.Last November, Republicans rewrote an 11-year-old party rule that required a party leader to step aside if indicted, and instead made it possible for such a leader to maintain the party position. A grand jury in Austin was investigating the campaign finances of a political action committee created by DeLay and his political associates. After public objections to the maneuver, DeLay asked his party colleagues to rescind that change when they returned to Washington on Jan. 3 for the 109th Congress, and they did.

The next day, the full House approved — on a largely party-line vote of 220 to 195 — changes that Democrats contended would make it harder to launch investigations and would undermine their effectiveness.

A congressional aide said that changing the rules will mean “a couple of great days for Democrats” but that Republicans have calculated this will deny them long-term use of the ethics issue heading into next year’s midterm elections.

What a bunch of crooks.

This is only the first in what promises to be a series of indictments of Republican leaders — we’ve got Abramoff, Norquist, Frist, Rove, Libby, and others still to go.

Update: Here is an important reminder from Media Matters, via Atrios:

As justification for altering party rules in the House of Representatives in order to allow Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) to retain his leadership position if indicted by a Texas grand jury on political corruption charges, Republicans have claimed that Travis County, Texas, District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who is investigating DeLay, is doing so for purely partisan reasons. This charge was dutifully echoed on FOX News Channel, and most other news outlets have reported it — without noting that Earle has, in fact, prosecuted more Democratic politicians than Republican politicians.While Earle is an elected Democrat, as Media Matters for America has previously noted, a June 17 editorial in the Houston Chronicle commended his work: “During his long tenure, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has prosecuted many more Democratic officials than Republicans. The record does not support allegations that Earle is prone to partisan witch hunts.” This assertion supports Earle’s own claim about his record; a March 6 article in the El Paso Times reported: “Earle says local prosecution is fundamental and points out that 11 of the 15 politicians he has prosecuted over the years were Democrats.”

Update #2: Think Progress has even more evidence that Earle is not a partisan Democrat.

Update #3: Make sure you check out The Poor Man Institute, which is on fire today as the Editors celebrate an early Christmas and begin to unwrap the presents.

Update #4: In a controversial ruling, the OED announced that though “indicted” is properly pronounced “in-DITE-ted,” it’s perfectly acceptable, in DeLay’s case, to say it just the way it looks, with emphasis on the middle syllable.

15 Comments on "Oh Beautiful Day! Tom DeLay Indicted"

JCR:

…don’t forget good ol’ “Scooter” Libby, who is about to be named along with Rove as one of the White House staffers who outed CIA agent Valerie Plame.

09.28.05 1:07 pm

Matt:

Thanks, JCR. We might end up adding Bolton to that list, too.

09.28.05 1:09 pm

somegirl:

now i want to see some of those motherfuckers in jail!

i really want to see abramoff implicated in the murder of boulis. i saw in a an article today that he and kidan were both out of the country the day of the murder. how convenient but…isn’t that what everyone does when they hire a contract killer???

09.28.05 1:16 pm

Philadelphia Will Do:

Philly Blogicized: Early Friday night takes

• Apparently Tom Delay was indicted. We decided to link to the Philly blog that sounded the happiest. The exclamation points really sold us. If you had used an emoticon we would have collapsed under a pile of rainbows and…

09.28.05 4:11 pm

Marty:

Pls see this short film on Tom DeLay.
http://www.el27.net/jackandtom.php
Best Wishes
Marty Baldwin

10.03.05 3:55 pm

Yippeee! Vote them out!:

DeLay Defense Fund, Abramoff - Corruption!
* Those who BACKED MUST GET PACKED!

“I don’t think we need to line the pockets of our cronies, said, Gammage who’s been accusing Perry of being a part of corrupt political machine stretching from Texas to Washington”. Associated Press.

“The state also has a standing $15,000 a month lobbying contract with the Federalist Group, which employed U.S. Rep Tom DeLay’s former chief of Staff Drew Maloney.” Associated Press

* The only Contract like it in America, IN TEXAS!!!

DeLay Defense Fund - Abramoff - Corruption * THOSE WHO BACKED MUST GET PACKED!!!

04.13.06 11:01 am

National Holiday:

They May declare National Holiday when Tom DeLay resigns !

04.13.06 6:58 pm

The Wrench:

Here is what was covered up!

On June 6, 2004, Tom Delay and Senske the CEO Lutheran Social Services the (LAWYER) showed up in DC to thwarth a Congressional Investigation, into massive Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, Foster Care Fraud, CPS Fraud, FALSIFIED FOSTER CARE FATALTITY REPORTS!

http://media.familyrights.us/expose/ExposeV2005.pdf

Here is the Abramoff Foster Care Connection!

http://auctionhouse.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/11/4/114556/020

http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/11/9/15581/12958

Here is your Abramoff Russian Communist Connection!

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/02/23/abramoff_ties_to_russians_probed/

* Lutheran Social Services has the largest Foster Care contract in Texas!

* Lutheran Social Services went to Russia!

http://www.lsss.org/mediareleases/media_credentials.htm

http://www.mosnews.com/commentary/2005/04/18/adoption.shtml

Who else went to the communist?

We will post the Falsified Death Reports along with the Foster Care Life Insurance Legislation next and the PAC Insurance money !

Think about this for awhile!

Oh, Here is a small bit of info on how it works!

Caught Red Handed! http://www.txcfr.org/M.pdf

Here is how they raise money!

http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=2016

Tell us if you are getting picture yet! We will post rest later think about this first!

04.13.06 7:57 pm

Look!:

Republican/Communist Party! Republicans backed by Communist! Don’t take our word …………….look at this NEW INFORMATION uncovered ……………..we been duped and infiltrated! Republicans against Republican Communist!

http://claudialong.com/articles/2006/01/04/to_russia_love_tom_delay.php

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/01/04/to_russia_love_tom_delay.ph

That is why they have been taking the dirty Russian Communist trips they outsourced DEMOCRACY to COMMUNISM that explains the RULE BY IRON FIST and TOTALARISM TACTICS Republican Communists!

04.16.06 9:08 am