DELAY IS PROBABLY THE MOST CORRUPT CONGRESSIONAL LEADER IN HISTORY. BUT IS HE ALSO INVOLVED IN MURDER??
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Tom DeLay, the former exterminator turned extreme right-wing Republican congressman and ultra-authoritarian House Majority Leader, is the unquestioned posterboy for over-the-top corruption, graft and political strong-arm tactics. When the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee reprimanded him-- THEIR OWN LEADER-- for glaring ethics violations he simply replaced the Republicans who voted against him with GOP hacks who are nearly as corrupt as he is. DeLay's handpicked new chairman, Baby-Doc Hastings (R-WA), promptly maneuvered the Ethics Committee shut, which suited DeLay's needs perfectly. But with more and more DeLay "associates" being arrested and with his crime family crumbling all around him, the beleaguered Sugar Land, Texas Republicrook is being hounded by an incorruptible District Attorney in Austin. (DeLay's screams of "partisan witch hunt" ring completely hollow since this particular D.A. has gone after more Democratic pols than Republicans in his crime-fighting career.)
The biggest fish hauled off to jail from DeLay's mammoth crime organization so far was Jack Abramoff, DeLay's consiglieri. Abramoff will face a myriad of changes involving corruption and various degrees of financial manipulations. And possibly murder. Tuesday Fort Lauderdale police charged 3 hitmen in the 2001 gangland-style murder of Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, a Florida businessman who was gunned down in his car months after selling a casino cruise line to Abramoff, his crooked partner Adam Kidan and some other shady Abramoff/DeLay "associates." Kidan claims the gunmen (Gambino crime family member Anthony Moscatiello, Anthony Ferrari, and James Fiorillo) were only hired as "consultants," not as murderers. Abramoff and Kidan had bought the cruise line from Boulis in 2000 while Abramoff was one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington and well-known to be DeLay's #1 bagman. Abramoff and Kidan were indicted in August in relation to a $60 million fraud involving a casino purchase. Abramoff's casino ventures, which includes defrauding American Indians out of tens of millions of dollars that made their way into GOP campaign coffers, have entangled Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT), John Cornyn (R-TX), and David Vitter (R-LA) and Congressmen Bob Ney (R-OH), Richard Pombo (R-CA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Mike Ferguson (R-NJ), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), as well as Bush operatives David Safavian (arrested last week) and Ralph Reed. Fellow Republican legislator, John McCain was so shocked by Abramoff's wheeling and dealing on behalf of DeLay that he was moved to comment: "Even in this town, where huge sums are routinely paid as the price of political access, the figures are astonishing."
Both DeLay and Ney were involved with Kidan and Abramoff's cruise line deal, Ney even placing comments in the Congressional Record about it! Kidan and Abramoff, old pals from that always sterling organization, College Young Republicans, made sure to be conveniently out of the country when they had Boulis killed and claim not to know anything about the murder. Abramoff has avoided the Florida police, who want to interview him for his role in the killing, for several years. Although DeLay was a key component in the financing of the deal, he now says he doesn't remember anything and won't even confirm that he hosted a key money lender in his skybox at a Redskins-Cowboys game (although there are plenty of witnesses). Kidan claims the $145,000 he paid Moscatiello to kill Boulis wasn't for murder, just for consulting and catering and site inspections. According to court documents there is no evidence that food or drink was provided or that any consulting documents were prepared. This wasn't the first time Abramoff's and Kidan's "consultant" made the news. In 1983 Moscatiello was indicted on federal heroin-trafficking charges along with Gene Gotti, brother of John Gotti, then head of the Gambino family. DeLay and Ney are both supporters of the War of Drugs (of course).
Meanwhile, today the Texas Grand Jury finally indicted DeLay, along with 2 of his associates, with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme. DeLay hasn't been directly linked to the murder yet. An AOL poll shows that 92% of people voting have an overall negative impression of DeLay and that 5% have a positive impression. (3% are neutral or haven't made up their minds yet.) DeLay will probably have to step down as House Minority Leader, although with BushCo in charge, who knows what will happen!
11AM UPDATE: DELAY TO BE REPLACED AS HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER BY CALIFORNIA GAY CONGRESSMAN
"I have notified the speaker that I will temporarily step aside from my position as majority leader pursuant to rules of the House Republican Conference and the actions of the Travis County district attorney today," DeLay said. GOP congressional officials said Speaker Denny ("bulldoze New Orleans") Hastert (R-IL) will recommend that flamboyant gay California congressman David Dreier step into those duties. (For the full story on the GOP hypocrite and closet queen taking over from DeLay, take a look at my Saturday, Sept 17th blog: "SELF-LOATHING GAY HOMOPHOBE DAVID DREIER STRIKES AGAIN.") The Republican House caucus may meet tonight to act on Hastert's recommendation. Last November this same caucus, in a sign of blind obeisance to DeLay after the grand jury returned indictments against three of his criminal associates, repealed a rule requiring any of their leaders to step aside if indicted. The rule was reinstituted in January after chastened lawmakers returned to Washington where grassroots supporters had gone ape-shit and threatened to sit on their hands in the 2006 elections if DeLay was allowed to continue to run roughshod over the Congress. Since the charge carries a potential two-year sentence, House rules force DeLay to step down.
2:30PM UPDATE: HASTERT BACKS DOWN ON DREIER.
With Roy Blunt running all over Capitol Hill screaming "Fag!!!" ex-wrestling teacher Denny Hastert backed down from recommending a gay man (albeit a partially closeted one) as the new Republican Majority Leader. The about-to-be-annointed-Blunt-- who is burdened with his own record of corruption and ethics violations up the wazoo-- is the father of one of the country's most corrupt (and least popular) governors, Matt Blunt, another crooked Missouri pol. Meanwhile a CNN poll is showing that a full 18% of Americans do not think DeLay should resign from Congress. Presumably if he is found guilty of murder a few of those people might change their "minds" (unless Limbaugh and O'Liely tell them not to).
9:30PM UPDATE (TODAY'S FINAL)
You can read the actual indictment on this .pdf file. It's very simple and straight-forward:
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/pdf/092805_delayindictment.pdf
posted by DownWithTyranny @ 10:08 AM
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I am tired of arguing with Republicans and their supporters.
Today, on the heels of the indictment, which I told you about last week, Tom Delay is on the cuff. He is sharp, focused and ready to do battle with his opponents. He is mad as hell and he is forgetting that indeed, if anyone needs to be mad, its the democrats. Under Delay, Frist (R-TN), and Trent Lott (R-MS) (resigned Senate Majority Leader because he made racist, anti-American comments), The United States has suffered worse than any other presidency since the tenure of Nixon.
My simple Question to you republican agenda supporting fascists.
Healthcare? Failure
Social Security Reform? Failure.
Marriage Amendment (we know its coming back just to piss off the democrats over Tom Delay)
FEMA? Failure
WMDs? Failure
Iraqi Policy to secure the country? Failure.
Bid to find Osama Bin Laden? Failure.
TSA screening? Failure after Failure.
Increasing Jobs? Failure.
Decreasing the national debt? Failure.
I ask you again? What in HELL have the Republicans done that's good for this country?
It seems to me that they have driven a wedge between religions, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.
No more Questions.
In God We Trust.
C3
www.americathestolen.blogspot.com
The barrage of hate and slime aimed at Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle from DeLay and his allies in the right-wing corporate media has already begun. THINK PROGRESS has all the facts-- in case you know anyone stupid enough to watch Bill O'Liely on TV or listen to Limbaugh's radio show.
The Truth About Ronnie Earle
EARLE HAS PROSECUTED FOUR TIMES AS MANY DEMOCRATS AS REPUBLICANS: “Over Earle’s 27-year tenure, his Public Integrity Unit has prosecuted 15 elected officials, including 12 Democrats.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]
EARLE PROSECUTED DEMOCRATS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF STATE GOVERNMENT: “Some of the Democrats prosecuted by Earle and his Public Integrity Unit are former Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis, former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, former State Treasurer Warren Harding and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Yarbrough.” [AP, 12/12/04]
EARLE AIDES WENT ON TO RUN FOR OFFICE AS REPUBLICANS: “Some of his top assistants have been with him for decades. A few have gone on to run for elected office as Republicans.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]
FRIEND OF OFFICIAL TARGETED BY EARLE CALLED HIM A ‘BOY SCOUT’: “Democrats, for their part, are still upset over the prosecution of Attorney General Jim Mattox for bribery in 1985. … He was acquitted and years later, Jim Marston, a civil lawyer in Austin and friend of Mr. Mattox, asked Earle why he went ahead with the questionable case. “I said, ‘Ronnie, how can it be an abuse of power to threaten a lawyer? We threaten each other all the time.’ He told me that elected officials are held to a higher standard. They are supposed to be [above suspicion] like Caesar’s wife.’ It was then that Mr. Marston realized how deep Earle’s principles run. ‘Ronnie Earle is a Boy Scout who is offended by wrongdoings, chief among them, public officials’ abuse of power.’ [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]
EARLE HAS REPUTATION AS PRINCIPLED, ‘OVERLY CAUTIOUS’: “Deliberate in the capital cases he sends to juries, Earle is well known for examining an issue from all angles before acting. ‘If I have any complaint about Ronnie, it’s that he is overly cautious about who he prosecutes,’ says Marston. ‘The fact that it has taken two years to investigate Tom DeLay is a sign not of partisanship, but of being completely careful.’” [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]
EARLE HAS REPUTATION FOR ‘STRONG MORAL STREAK’: “[T]o those who know him, Earle has always exhibited a strong moral streak - from his formative years growing up in a small town outside Fort Worth, to his time on the Austin night court, to his political service in the state legislature. But they contend his morality is tempered by his compassion. ‘Ronnie is very principled and will do the right thing even if it isn’t the smartest political thing to do,’ says Ellen Halbert, a victim’s rights advocate.” [Christian Science Monitor, 12/03/04]
EARLE HAS REPUTATION FOR RESPECTING THE RULES: “‘One of the things I admired most about Ronnie was his indefatigable ability to go and meet with groups all over town all the time–right-wing groups, left-wing groups, the Rotary,’ says Bill Reid, an attorney who retired from Earle’s office in 1997. ‘He’s not a bloodthirsty prosecutor who wanted to get notches on his gun. There are some who have a reputation for walking close to the line in terms of evidence and rights, but there was never a push or inclination from him that we ought to bend the rules. Working for him, I was doing what I wanted to do, and I could go home and sleep at night.’” [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/05]
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: ALLEGATIONS OF PARTISANSHIP NOT SUPPORTED BY FACTS: Chronicle editorial: “The record does not support allegations that Earle is prone to partisan witch hunts.” [3/17/03]
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