DeLay case holds future of GOP leadership

[Thom Little]

A Texas judge's ruling expected this week could force Rep. Tom DeLay to stand trial on conspiracy and money-laundering charges, as well as decide the future of the House Republican leadership and further shake a GOP hit hard by recent scandal.

Since the September indictment that required him to step down as House majority leader, DeLay has cast himself as the victim of a political vendetta. He has pushed for the case to be resolved before January, when Congress reconvenes, so he can quickly return to his leadership post.

Senior Judge Pat Priest is expected to rule on a motion to throw out the indictment by Tuesday.

"I see this as a do-or-die moment for Tom DeLay's future as majority leader," David Cannon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, said last week.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DELAY?SITE=TXSAE&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[XNASA]

1. Pat Priest of 'The Munsters' fame?

[FormerRepublican]

2. If they let Delay off the hook, I'm going to puke for a week.

[Jane Austin]

3. I don't think the Texas case is going to decide DeLay's political future.

Fortunately it has kept DeLay out of power for these past two months, which has given other scandals time to catch up to DeLay.

Congressional Republicans would be nuts to put him back at the top of the House leadership because he is implicated in the apparently huge Abramoff scandal and who knows what else.

I hope the judge does the right thing, but because this is Texas, I am not counting on it.

Meanwhile, if he gets out of this one, DeLay will jump from the frying pan right into the Abramoff fire.

I would think most House Republicans would be relieved to have him gone - - especially the ones who would like to move up in the leadership.

[lovuian]

4. Its a Republican judge and he will try but DeLay is wrapped all

over the Abrahmoff conspiracy he will get it in another ways!!!

[UpInArms]

5. DeLay Asked Abramoff for Funds Through Foundation, E-mails Show

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aP3iSpyHdnq4&refer=us

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Tom DeLay asked Jack Abramoff to raise money for him through an Abramoff foundation, the latest evidence of the ties between DeLay and the indicted lobbyist, e-mails released by a Senate committee show.

Abramoff asked in a June 6, 2002, e-mail to his associate, Tony Rudy: ``Did you get the message from the guys that Tom wants us to raise some bucks from the Capital Athletic Foundation?'' Rudy is a former chief of staff for DeLay.

The e-mails, released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee after a Nov. 2 hearing, indicate that the foundation had already taken in $150,000 for DeLay and that Abramoff was trying to raise at least $50,000 more. Abramoff got the money from his Indian tribe clients, who operated casinos, the correspondence shows.

There was no indication of what DeLay, a Texas Republican, wanted the money for or why he asked to use the charitable foundation, which was run by Abramoff and his wife, Pamela. There's also no indication that any money went to DeLay.

<snip>

On July 8, 2002, he wrote in another e-mail, ``DeLay contribution. I am getting daily calls on this. When they return tomorrow, I have no doubt Tom himself is going to call.''

...more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55283-2004Sep27_3.html

excerpt:

E-mails at the time showed Abramoff pushing for more money for his enterprise. He sent an e-mail to Scanlon in February 2003 stating: "Please make sure the next $1M from Coushatta for me goes to Eshkol Academy directly. Please tell them that we are 'using the school as our conduit for some of activities.' " The e-mail added that "if that won't fly with them, use CAF," referring to the Capital Athletic Foundation, or the National Center for Public Policy Research.

Abramoff repeated the request in e-mails in March and April. The Eshkol Academy "is our front group," the first e-mail said. The second said: "I really need to get those funds into Eshkol asap. Let me know what we have to do."

...more...