Laundering indictments against DeLay aides upheld

[douglas9]

Source: Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN — An appeals court has upheld money-laundering indictments against two of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's political associates, finding that the Texas law is not unconstitutional vague or overbroad.

"The challenged statutes give constitutionally adequate notice of the conduct prohibited and sufficiently determine guidelines for law enforcement," said Third Court of Appeals Justice Alan Waldrop in a 46-page opinion issued late Friday.

The ruling was handed down exactly two years from the date the case was argued. The three judges on the panel that heard the case are all Republicans.

But the ruling provided a potential defense for James Ellis and John Colyando by finding that personal checks were not covered by the money laundering statute prior to 2005. The two and DeLay are accused of conspiring to funnel $190,000 in corporate cash illegally to seven Texas House candidates in the 2002 elections, when Republicans captured control of the Legislature. All three say the transactions done by a political campaign committee known as Texans for a Republican Majority were completely legal.

n/t

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5962566.html

[grannie4peace]

1. he needs to be in jail!!!!

[babylonsister]

2. Ah, those slow wheels of justice. I hope their target is the big cockroach. nt

[Demeter]

5. Get Those Little Birdies to Sing!

I'm sure we could offer them some incentive that will make them squeal like the pigs they are.

[Joanne98]

3. Put them in prison

[Judi Lynn]

4. Inconceivable they could have drawn it out this long. It seemed an insult to the country when they

dragged it out so long they went past the last national election. Christ.

It seems they've been hoping everyone would forget, and there wouldn't be as much pressure on them to do anything about Hot Tub Tom and his lackeys.

From the article:"The three judges on the panel that heard the case are all Republicans."

Who would have guessed? :sarcasm: of course.

[drgonzosghost]

17. LET them drag it out!!!

Do you really want them to go through the whole trial, get convicted, almost get the orange jumpsuit, and then appear on Fox News as a senior expert after their pardon? Let them drag it our until we have a new president I say!!!

[fascisthunter]

6. Delay, Delay

what a fricking joke....

[RedLetterRev]

7. The wheel of justice may grind exceedlingly slowly

but it grinds exceedingly fine.

I'm relieved that this finding occurred before the elections. That may not splash nationally, but it will sufficiently color the Texas races to bubble upward. Texas has been in the grip of the Railroad Commission mafia for far too long. Heaven grant that this is the beginning of their end and the end of the oil mafia in DC.

Well, ya gotta have a dream.

[glancingthefuture]

8. past time to see this!!

[bitchkitty]

9. tee hee! n/t

[trungpa ricochet]

10. That's just the tip of the slushberg.

Tom Delay is the condensate of the gaseous bilge of today's Republican Party. My favorite part of his hypocrisy was always the way he wrapped up his outrageous greed with the Christian religion. He needs to do some hard time and be cellmates with an eight-foot guy who finds him irresistible.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. Finally!

The forum handle that beats mine! Kudos! Brilliant! ;-)

[RedLetterRev]

13. And a beautiful Eclectus

is she yours?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

20. Yepper.

The only woman that will have me. My little love sponge. -)

[RedLetterRev]

12. And I'd love to know more about those "miraculous conversions"

in those secret meetings in his office. There's Moon money as well as K Street money involved. There's a lot more to it than the few stories that have been reported for years. I'd love to see that surface again.

Yes, indeed. A large and very, very lonely roommate would be just the deserts he's richly earned.

[Stern21]

14. Two years????

Two years for the court to pass down this ruling?

Geez, right before the elections with the common opinion of Obama taking office in a few short months.

Hmmmm.

[Lasher]

15. What's the hurry?

This was just to decide if the indictments would stand. At this rate The Hamper wll be dead and buried before the trial runs its course. The classic Kenny Boy defense.

[I Dreamtoomuch_2]

16. Joe Biden says...

The Reckoning is Now!


Barack Obama said he would open the Bush Administrations management of our government and Make the illegals, Legal.



I believe Joe Biden.

And... I can hardly wait! :nuke:







and, why isn't DeLay in Chains yet?

[bjobotts]

18. DeLay thinks he can hide behind that born again christian stuff but his hypocrisy

proves what a scum he is. He should go back to exterminating insects.

[ailsagirl]

19. I'd take insects any day over that odious, sleazy SOB

:puke:

[savistocate]

22. Yeeeaaaah! not just on Fox they've brought the criminal on

msnbc and cnn. Stupified seeing that.. Great news now.

[Plucketeer]

21. Karl and the Hammer -

- let's put them in the slammer! :nopity:

[Botany]

23. Bush is gonna pardon his ass

Willing to bet money on that.

[Webster Green]

24. He's running out the clock..

He'll file so much crap that he'll be dead before he faces a trial.

And, he'll get away with that cuz he's a rich, white, piece-o-crap!

[pasto76]

25. hunting season is approching here in CO

alot of guys at work are starting to talk about going for elk. Im not a hunter though and not sure what would be in season right now.

However - if you were a secret service agent detailed to protect the #3 person in our government, you would detain this person now, and quadruple check his story later. My money is that he is released later today or tomorrow.