Sitting here on the outskirts of Austin Texas, the home territory of District Attorney Ronnie Earle, I get exposed to some things that those in other parts of the country may not be picking up on from the news stories about the indictment of House Speaker Tom DeLay.
To start off with, people outside of Texas seem not to be aware of Ronnie Earle's long history of vindictive and unprincipled attacks against Republican officials and personal rivals.
Earle sees himself as the last bastion of populist and progressive ideals in an increasingly Republican dominated state and with good reason. He's the only Democrat with prosecutorial powers which cover the entire state because of special priveleges given to the Austin DA's office under Texas law. He's self-righteous and opposed to the power elite, and willing to use his position to prosecute cases which have little merit but substantial political impact. With the backing of the far left in Austin he has an unassailable position from which he can go after anyone with an indictment from a spoon fed grand jury and get away with it, faccing few consequences if he fails. He's held this position for almost 30 years and isn't likely to lose it any time soon. If he does fail in one of his prosecutions he can try and try again because his local constituency has infinite patience for wasted time and effort so long as it involved pillorying Republicans or even Democrat political rivals.
He's quick to claim that he's prosecuted more Democrat than Republican officials, but fails to mention that most of his prosecutions of Democrats were of minor figures on obvious criminal charges, or were political attacks targetting personal enemies within the Democratic party.
His current crusade against Tom DeLay is reminiscent of his attack on Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in 1994. As she was running for the Senate, Earle tried to derail her campaign by launching an investigation into supposed misbehavior while she was State Treasurer, including misuse of state telephones and assaulting a staff member. The first time he filed the charges the grand jury indictment was disqualified because of irregularities in the composition of the jury. He convened another grand jury and brough the charges a second time. This time, when Earle took his evidence in front of a judge it became immediately apparent that he had no evidence and was merely trying to use the indictment to smear Hutchison politically. He then attempted to withdraw the charges after being questioned about whether there was any actual evidence at the pre-trial hearing. The judge refused to allow Earle to withdraw the charges and instead instructed the jury to return a "not guilty" verdict so that the charges could not be refiled, thereby preventing Earle's standard practice in these witchunts of filing the same charges over and over until he can find a sympathetic judge or jury and make them stick.
Article comments
1 - Alethinos
Much good might not be able to be said for the man... Less can be said for Delay. One can literally see the grease ozzing out of every exposed pore.
Speaking of vindictive where's Ken Starr these days?
If a politician has committed a crime or breached an ethics code of conduct - he or she should be dealt with - period. Democrat, republican, no matter.
Unless, like Thrasymachus (in the Republic) you believe "justice" is whatever the strong say it is?
Alethinos
2 - Alethinos
Or, as I should have added... Your new districting is whatever Tom Delay now says it is...
Alethinos
3 - MT
Forget about Earle's "supposed" vindictive nature Dave -- is DeLay clean? (You should know. You've always presented yourself as someone who knows the absolute truth about everything there is to know, no matter what anyone else believes, or the evidence implies). Why don't you tell us how YOU know that DeLay is NOT a scumbag low - life rip-off disgrace. Perhaps you can start with his relationship with Jack, his lobby guru pal, who, at this very moment in time, is being investigated (by someone other than Earle) for his questionable financial dealings. Earle is not the issue. DeLay is -- and it's obvious his spin machine is spinning full steam ahead through voices like yours.
4 - Dave Nalle
>>If a politician has committed a crime or breached an ethics code of conduct - he or she should be dealt with - period. Democrat, republican, no matter.<<
Ronnie Earle's mantra would be more like "if a politician is a powerful republican we should accuse him of crimes and indict him with no evidence until he's discredited and destroyed."
As to the districting, the gerrymandering crime in Texas was committed after the census of 1990 when the Democrats redrew absolutely ridiculous districts in order to hold onto control of the state government even when only 40% of the voters were democrats. The new Republican drawn districts are much closer to reflecting the political composition of the state, and they are much more coherent geographically as well. The breakdown of the population in Texas is 40% Democrat and 55% Republican. After redistricting the breakdown of the State House of Representatives is 42% Democrat, 56% Republican. Wow, that sure sounds like unfair redistricting to me. The Democrats still have more seats than their percentage of voters.
Dave
5 - Dave Nalle
MT, do you not READ the articles you're replying to?
I said quite clearly that DeLay is indeed "dirty as hell", but that doesn't mean I want to see him framed for something he didn't do. Go after him for what he actually did, don't smear him in a bogus indictment based on zero evidence and a purely imaginary crime.
Plenty of people have already pointed out DeLay's shortcomings, but it seemed like few were aware of what a totally reprehensible, egomaniacal fascist Earle is. I'm just balancing things out here.
Dave
6 - Justin Berry
Its part of the game Dave both sides are guilty of it. I do however agree that an indictment from Ronnie Earle should be taken with a grain of salt. As a Republican I still had to laugh at the irony of Delay having to step down. If the case were winnable for Mr. Earle it would have been a major victory for the Dems. in '06. For now the only victory I see is in opinion polls and for conspiracy theorists. The danger that I see for the Dems. is dropped charges or an aquittal which will leave them with egg on their face in the eyes of discerning voters.
7 - Dave Nalle
Based on Earle's past record a dropped charge or an acquittal seems more than likely.
As for DeLay stepping down, that Republican rule reflects very favorably on the party. Jim Wright didn't step down until he was convicted as I recall.
Dave
8 - MT
Dave -- seeing as how you have stated that DeLay is indeed "dirty as hell" would you care to describe some of those "dirty" deeds to us? You know an awful lot about Earle's misdeeds, so how about the inside scoop on DeLay.
9 - Dave Nalle
MT, it's not like DeLay's other misconduct is a mystery. He's been dragged through the press for years. Of his various activities I find his ramming through of the Schiavo bill the most offensive, but it's not a crime or anything.
But if you want to go into more detail on his dreadful cuban cigar smoking or his attempt to use homeland security to track down runaway Texas legislators or his various actual proven financial irregularities, feel free to write an article of your own, or just do a search in the search window at the top of this article for DeLay and you'll find everything you dreamed of.
Dave
10 - RJ
Great article.
I have no use for DeLay, but this Earle character shouldn't even have his law license anymore, at this point.
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
How involved was Earle in that Murray case? Instigator? Pawn prosecutor? Suspect? All of the above?
12 - Dave Nalle
Exactly, RJ. Earle is becoming an embarassment and I wish there was a way to break up the far left voting block in Austin that keeps him in office.
Suss, Earle was directly involved in the Murray case. He was the prosecutor in charge and personally questioned her while she was held incommunicado at the Gardner-Betts Juvenile Detention Center. Her family blame him personally for the misconduct of the case and have publicly accused him of racism.
Dave
13 - demabloggery
The problem with this accusation is that DeLay was not directly involved with TRMPAC's disposition of the money, and the law under which he was indicted did not exist at the time the alleged crime took place, but was only passed a year later.
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Texas campaign finance laws are much older than that. The weenie issue delay is trying to get off on is disclosure of the money, which is the new law. The real issue is the manner in which the money was spent.
Bottom line; the Republicans built a complex organization a la ENRON to circumvent the campaign finance laws and COINCIDENTALLY swept into office in 2002 after muscling their way in and in the classic manner are going on the attack in order to deflect attention away from their shenanigans.
Delay calling Earle on abusing his powers is like murdering your parents and throwing yourself on the mercy of the court as an orphan. I'm sick of this puke, and I'm damn glad Earle is there to clean up at least this section of that festering sore of the Texas republicans. If he is an asshole, than at least his OUR asshole.
14 - demabloggery
don't smear him in a bogus indictment based on zero evidence and a purely imaginary crime.
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I don't think it's bogus at all. But I do know the Republicans are crafty enough to make sure they can argue this. The method is simple; have a ring of people around you that you can claim you didn't order to do exactly what you did tell them to do. It goes all the way back to the days of Oliver North setting up office in the White HOuse while Reagan had no clue. It's bullshit, but a lawyer or a partisan could argue it.
15 - Dave Nalle
>>Texas campaign finance laws are much older than that. The weenie issue delay is trying to get off on is disclosure of the money, which is the new law. The real issue is the manner in which the money was spent.<<
The money was spent legally, though. The money didn't actually get spent until it was in the hands of the RNC, and that put it outside of the restrictions of the law which governs TRMPAC. And it's not a weenie issue, because the law really was changed, and without that change there would be no way to charge delay at all. Of course, they still need to prove that he was actually involved in the final disposition of the money, which isn't going to be at all easy.
>>Delay calling Earle on abusing his powers is like murdering your parents and throwing yourself on the mercy of the court as an orphan. I'm sick of this puke, and I'm damn glad Earle is there to clean up at least this section of that festering sore of the Texas republicans. If he is an asshole, than at least his OUR asshole.<<
He's not MY asshole, and he's not good for Texas. He's a self-righteous, self-serving fascist who is doing harm to people in Austin every day by neglecting their interests while he pursues his personal political vendettas.
>>I don't think it's bogus at all. But I do know the Republicans are crafty enough to make sure they can argue this. The method is simple; have a ring of people around you that you can claim you didn't order to do exactly what you did tell them to do. It goes all the way back to the days of Oliver North setting up office in the White HOuse while Reagan had no clue. It's bullshit, but a lawyer or a partisan could argue it.<<
You mean you've only JUST discovered 'plausible deniability'? Welcome to the real world.
Dave
16 - demabloggery
The money was spent legally, though.
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The Republicans claim that it went for administrative costs. I don't believe it.If it went for campaign ads and all the other things it's illegal, period. This is why it should go to court, because I don't know and niether do you. All I smell is fish, Dave.
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He's a self-righteous, self-serving fascist
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Then he has what it takes to run as Republican.
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You mean you've only JUST discovered 'plausible deniability'? Welcome to the real world.
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So you concede that Delay ought to be indicted? Good. I knew we would see eye to eye on this one.;)
17 - Dave Nalle
>>The Republicans claim that it went for administrative costs. I don't believe it.If it went for campaign ads and all the other things it's illegal, period. This is why it should go to court, because I don't know and niether do you. All I smell is fish, Dave.<<
All I smell is a bad law that ought to be repealed.
>>So you concede that Delay ought to be indicted? Good. I knew we would see eye to eye on this one.;)<<
No, I think that indicting Delay on a charge which almost certainly won't stand up in court is a waste of time and a waste of the prosecutor's resources which ought to be used on real crimes which they are currently neglecting.
Dave
18 - Russell Hallberg Jr
Two young men are going to be lynched by Prosecutor Ronnie Earl. The were wrongfully convicted for the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders. Their case is documented.
Tom DeLay has been indicted for money laundering. The families of the Yogurt Shop Murder victims received 19 million dollars. That is four times the settlement in similar cases. The owners of the yogurt shop, Brice Foods, were convicted of swindling investors. Millions disappeared from Brice Foods investor accounts and turned up in the settlement for the murders.
Attorney Eric Moebius attempted to expose a huge money laundering operation by insurance companies. His statements are correct. His statement is available in the Other Documents section of the texas-justice site. Go here for more information about the murders.
19 - Dave Nalle
I didn't realize that case was still ongoing. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Dave