Ellis, Colyandro Deny Cooperation With Earle (the DeLay indictment) [View All]

[MADem]

October 6, 2005
By John Bresnahan,
Roll Call Staff

Two political associates of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) have denied rumors that they are cooperating with Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle in his investigation of the former House Majority Leader, spurring further questions about the source of “additional information” that Earle claimed he had received against DeLay last weekend. On Monday, Earle convinced a Texas grand jury to issue felony indictments against DeLay for money laundering and conspiring to violate Texas’ ban on using corporate campaign donations in state legislative races. A lawyer for a third DeLay associate who also is under indictment in the Texas probe, Warren RoBold, did not return calls seeking comment on whether he is cooperating with Earle’s investigation.

However, attorneys for Jim Ellis and John Colyandro issued a joint statement on Wednesday afternoon refuting any suggestion that they were assisting Earle while also proclaiming their clients’ innocence. Colyandro was the executive director of Texans for a Majority PAC, which is at the heart of Earle’s investigation, while Ellis is the head of Americans for a Republican Majority PAC, DeLay’s federal leadership PAC. Both organizations were created by DeLay, and Earle is investigating a $190,000 soft-money donation by TRMPAC to an arm of the Republican National Committee in September 2002. Those funds were later routed back to Republican state candidates in Texas as hard money, and Earle alleges this transaction violated Lone Star State law. Corporate campaign donations cannot be used in Texas state legislative races.

“Rumors are circulating, and have been aired in the media, to the effect that Jim Ellis or John Colyandro has reached a deal to cooperate with with Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle in his vendetta against Congressman Tom DeLay. These rumors are absolutely false,” said a statement from J.D. Pauerstein, a partner in the San Antonio, Texas-firm of Loeffler Tuggey Pauerstein Rosenthal. Joseph Turner, Colyandro’s lawyer, said the statement covered both men.

...Since the second indictments came down Monday there had been widespread speculation that Ellis, Colyandro or RoBold were cooperating with Earle. Wednesday’s statement by Ellis and Colyandro was designed to quash those rumors.
(sub req) http://www.rollcall.com/issues/51_33/news/10775-1.html

Well, SOMEONE's been talking!!!!!