Civil Trial Nears for GOP Activist

[Rose Siding]

AUSTIN, Texas — A Republican Party activist is scheduled to go on trial Monday to face civil charges that he was part of an illegal scheme to finance the GOP's rise to power here.

The trial is the result of a lawsuit brought by five Democratic state House candidates who lost their races to Republicans in 2002. The election that year was a historic one in Texas, as the GOP — long the minority party here — seized a majority of state House seats, giving it control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor's mansion.

Democrats and independent campaign finance watchdogs have alleged ever since that a network of Republican activists illegally used corporate money to help pay for 22 House campaigns. Much of the money was routed through organizations with ties to U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texan whose prodigious fundraising operation is considered innovative yet controversial.

"This is the first chance for all of this to be debated in a courtroom — what they did, whether it was illegal, who was responsible," said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, a group that tracks the influence of money in politics. "I don't know if we'll find out all of the answers. But it's going to be very interesting."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-delay27feb27,1,3496698.story?coll=la-news-politics-national

[johncoby2]

1. NAIL the slimy bastard! eom

[UrbScotty]

2. Kick!

:kick:

[Runcible Spoon]

3. come on, come on NO WHAMMY.....

make these assholes PAY!

[Judi Lynn]

4. Something needs to be done about these creeps.

From the article:

The defendant scheduled for trial is Bill Ceverha, treasurer of the political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority.

Ceverha is a prominent Republican consultant and one of President Bush's Pioneers, a group of his top fundraisers. A former Dallas legislator, Ceverha, 68, helped found the Texas Conservative Coalition, a caucus that promotes limited government and conservative values.

"He is about as sophisticated a political player as one can find," said Cris Feldman, an Austin lawyer representing the Democrats.
(snip)

Texans for a Republican Majority is an offshoot of DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority, which assists the campaigns of conservative political candidates. Americans for a Republican Majority provided the seed money to launch the Texas version in 2001.
(snip/...)

If it weren't for their common criminality, Republicans would have nothing!

[Rose Siding]

5. Then those same candidates

once elected, donate to DeLay and get awarded with seats on the ETHICS committee :silly:

[truthpusher]

6. Lawsuit over 2002 election spending goes to trial

http://www.myplainview.com/APTexas/parsed/stories/D88GTTF80.shtml

Lawsuit over 2002 election spending goes to trial
-----------------------------------
By JIM VERTUNO Associated Press Writer The Associated Press
-----------------------------------
Republicans swept to complete power in state government in 2002 when the GOP seized majority control of the Texas House for the first time since the 1870s.

(snip)

On Monday, a civil lawsuit filed by five Democrats who lost elections will reach a courtroom. The trial before state District Judge Joe Hart is expected to last a week.

(snip)

"The question in this case is whether secret, undisclosed corporations are going to control the political process through large campaign contributions," said Cris Feldman, one of the attorneys for the five Democrats.

Evidence that may emerge in this week´s civil trial could affect an ongoing criminal investigation into 2002 legislative election spending. That investigation has resulted in indictments against three top fund-raisers for U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Texans for a Republican Majority, created by DeLay, is an offshoot of his national fund-raising committee, Americans for a Republican Majority. DeLay has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He has not been subpoenaed in the civil case and has congressional immunity from being forced to testify in a lawsuit.

complete story: http://www.myplainview.com/APTexas/parsed/stories/D88GTTF80.shtml

[rainbow4321]

7. (TX/Delay) Lawsuit over 2002 election spending goes to trial

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D88GTTF80.html

On Monday, a civil lawsuit filed by five Democrats who lost elections will reach a courtroom. The trial before state District Judge Joe Hart is expected to last a week. The Democrats also allege that corporate contributions were not properly reported to the Texas Ethics Commission.

The Democrats allege Bill Ceverha, a former state House Republican who is now treasurer of the Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee, or TRMPAC, conspired to illegally collect and spend about $600,000 in corporate contributions that targeted them in their races.

Texans for a Republican Majority, created by DeLay, is an offshoot of his national fund-raising committee, Americans for a Republican Majority. DeLay has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He has not been subpoenaed in the civil case and has congressional immunity from being forced to testify in a lawsuit.

Evidence that may emerge in this week's civil trial could affect an ongoing criminal investigation into 2002 legislative election spending. That investigation has resulted in indictments against three top fund-raisers for U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

[paineinthearse]

8. Yes!!!! I've been waiting for this to start!

I believe there is also a pending federal suit by the DNC against the DoJ on the grounds that the 2002 Rep election was illegal based on it occuring without the new lines being approved by the DoJ's Civil Rights Division, as required by law.

Anyone up on that case?

Nominated for greatest.