From the Austin American-Statesman:
A Travis County grand jury last week refused to indict former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay as prosecutors raced to salvage their felony case against the Sugar Land Republican.
In a written statement Tuesday, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle acknowledged that prosecutors presented their case to three grand juries  not just the two they had discussed  and one grand jury refused to indict DeLay. When questions arose about whether the state’s conspiracy statute applied to the first indictment returned last Wednesday, prosecutors presented a new money-laundering charge to second grand jury on Friday because the term of the initial grand jury had expired.
Working on its last day Friday, the second grand jury refused to indict DeLay. Normally, a “no-bill” document is available at the courthouse after such a decision. No such document was released Tuesday.
Earle’s statement on Tuesday said he took money-laundering and conspiracy charges to a third grand jury on Monday after prosecutors learned of new evidence over the weekend.
Lawyers for DeLay immediately called foul after Earle released his statement after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“What could have happened over the weekend?” said Austin lawyer Bill White, who represents DeLay. “They investigate for three years and suddenly they have new evidence? That’s beyond the pale!”
White suggested that Earle released his statement Tuesday because he feared reporters would learn about the no-bill.
In his statement, Earle said he would have no further comment because grand jury proceedings are secret.
Well, sure. Except for the stuff you provide documentary film makers.
But remember: Ronnie Earle is a first-rate District Attorney who has prosecuted more Democrats than Republicans—proof that he’s fair in the use of his prosecutorial powers, that these charges against Tom Delay are not—NOT!—politically motivated, and that unicorns do in fact roam the woodlands, where they’re cared for by progressive elves who risk life and limb and reputation keeping these graceful creatures safe from evil corporate logging interests controlled by a cabal of anti-enviro Republican robber barons who want to gut them and grind their horns into aphrodesiacs for wealthy Saudi shiekhs.
(h/t Tom Elia)
Ronnie Earle is the next chairman of the DNC. I guarantee it.
Nah, Earle is the point man for Kos’ assault on the DLC, I bet. This DeLay case is probably why that got held up. Once Earle has secured the death penalty for DeLay, the DLC better watch out.
Byron York is also reporting that the attorneys for one of DeLay’s co-defendants have informed the filmmakers they intend to subpoena them and will want copies of the film and all outtakes.
I always thought money laundering laws pertained to ill-gotten gains transferred through a second party to provide clean money to transfer to a third party. From what I understand, it is not alleged that the donations to the PAC were illegal either in the solicitations or in the transfer to the RNC entity. Both of those are legal. So how was the money tainted and need to be laundered?
Maybe one of our attorney friends can enlighten us.
By the way, the reason Earle has prosecuted more Dems than Republicans in his district is because of numbers. Unless things have changed in the last 4 years you can almost count the number of Republican politicians in the Austin area on your fingers. The Dems have more representation there than a lottery winner has cousins.
new evidence over the weekend? please…
maybe he got a call from Lucy Ramirez
So, dougrc, I gather what you are saying is if we aborted all Democrat babies in Austin we’d virtually end political corruption there.
ANTI-DEMOCRATIST!
Actually, my understanding was Mary Mapes contacted Earle over the weekend, regarding some “damning memos” she had undercovered.
Everyone’s fond of the old saw about a prosecutor could convince a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.
Does this mean I can get an innocent ham sandwich in Austin? How about an innocent beer to wash it down?
There’s the lack of eligible republicans (up until fairly recently, democrats controlled state government) and then there’s the fact that a whole lot of Texas democrats are quite conservative as well. Making them targets of Mr. Earle, just like their GOP conservative brethren.
The question down there isn’t “does Earl indict republicans and democrats alike” its “does Earl indict conservatives and liberals alike”. And the answer is “no. No, he doesn’t.”
Hey, I’m in a sharing mood, so I’ll plant a song loop in everybody’s head. Even better if you’ve seen the video. Dixie Chicks Goodbye Earl. Especially at the end where they reprise the chorus over and over, with the “dead” Earl in zombie makeup boogying to the lyric “…and Earl had to die!”
cathy
Hmmmm.
“How about an innocent beer to wash it down?”
There are no innocent beer in Austin. They’re all full of vile hoppy wickedness!
Wickedness!! Vile!! And hops!!
It’s a devil’s brew alright.
Make mine a pilsner. Quart size if you got’em.
“new evidence over the weekend? please…
maybe he got a call from Lucy Ramirez “
-Or Ken Starr?
Richard Scaife?
….Joseph Farrah?
…..Lucianne Goldberg?
……Richard Nixon?
…….Joseph McCarthy?
……..Leo Strauss?
Isn’t this where you’re headed Wordblossom?
Jeff,
That bit about the unicorns cracked me up.
You do have spew insurance, don’t you?
durand
ANTI-DEMOCRATIST!
Salt Lick, you say that like it’s a bad thing.
BTW, your credibility with me is pretty much shot since your “entice herds of deer with our new and improved lick!” ad campaign. I bought 34 tons of your lick, at significant expense, yet still no deer. Fatwas will be issued, kafir!
Jeff, nix the unicorn talk. We oil guys have a deal with the logging people. We use spotted owls for drilling mud and they hid our well core cuttings in the bags of dirt in those “re-foresting areas.” Your going to blow the wole thing!
Btw, Sheik Assad said to let you know once you gring there horns off, the hoolves work pretty good too.
Once again Jeff, keep up the good stuff and I still don’t miss Martin Frost.
Best two out of three, right?
Insana—do you have a car? Because you need a car to make the lick attract deer. And it helps to have one of those anti-deer noisemakers on your car, too. That way they can locate you from the sound and use your headlights to see the lick.
When I was an Assistant State’s Attorney a no-bill usually ended the whole darn process. We told the defense counsel (if they had one of record) of the person targeted and that was that. If we tried to go forward by having a preliminary hearing, well – the evidence had to be hugely different and a lot more damning or the judge would lean over the bench and smite us with their gavel. And that smarts, I can tell you.
So this dork Earle gets a pass with a no-bill?! He should be defending his license to practice law, not calling film-makers or gloating in the press…
judging by my recent trip there? maybe, but you’ll have to hunt for it. they hide buildings really well there.
“Progressive elves”? Are you sure they aren’t elvish impersonators?
Salt Lick,
No, aborting Democrat babies in Austin wouldn’t solve the problem. Most of them weren’t born there to begin with. Austin is where they swarm; a blue island in a sea of red.
Fred – You are correct that many OLDER Democrats in Austin are conservative. It’s just they are disappearing and being over-taken by the “effete elite” of the New Dems. Most of them are Ivy league wannabes. My sister-in-law is an attorney there and what I think of as a flaming liberal, but she says she’s one of the most conservative members of her department in the state government. The only reason little Earle prosecutes any one of them is that they get caught and make it into the newpapers. Then he has to do something about it! He’s always talking about his prosecution of the Dems, but really how effective has he been in bringing them to conviction? I’ve not heard his conviction ratio of Dems vs. anyone else. Does anyone from Texas have a clue what that is?
And then there is this guy:
You just can’t make this shit up.
Ronnie Earle has a really sweet deal that’s kept him in office for 27 years. He has to get re-elected periodically, and he knows how to make his hyperliberal voters happy; prosecute a conservative, whether Democrat (the few left) or Republican. Because he’s the District Attorney of the county the state capital is in, he is responsible for investigating and prosecuting offenses related to government, and the work is funded by the state of Texas. This time around is particularly sweet because Texas democrats have their knickers in a monumental knot over redistricting and there’s no one who doesn’t understand it was Tom DeLay’s accomplishment. But he may have over-reached, I don’t think he has been up against a Tom DeLay before. Besides, I suspect the Republican legislature and governor may tire of funding his political career sooner or later.