Ex-DeLay Aide Reportedly to Plead Guilty

[brooklynite]

WASHINGTON - Tony Rudy, a former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, has agreed to plead guilty to charges in the widening federal investigation of lobbyist fraud, a law enforcement official said Friday.

A hearing was scheduled Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, where Rudy was expected to enter his plea.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been filed with the court.

Rudy would be the first person to plead guilty to charges in the case since Jack Abramoff, once a leading GOP lobbyist, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in January.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060331/ap_on_go_co/lobbyist_fraud_rudy_3

[Virginia Dare]

1. Great news! Bring 'em on. EOM

[AlCzervik]

2. now you know he's singing like a bird.

[maddezmom]

3. good news

hope is giving out some good information on his old boss. :D

[RedEarth]

4. Good.... the screws are tightening......

[democrat in Tallahassee]

5. It's the war on Christiianty! Can't you people learn? geez n/t

[Texaroo]

7. And even DeLay's "spiritual advisor" is apparently a culprit

Did anyone else see the Edwin Buckham mention in the Washington Post last weekend? He ran the U S Family Network and employed DELAY'S WIFE. Plus, this is the organization to which Abramoff funneled a $1 million contribution from "Russian oil executives," who channeled it through a now-defunct London law firm.

This is the one part of this that I think could bring Tommy down - his WIFE was employed by an Abramoff storefront lobbying organization, and he set up his staff to go there as part of his "K Street" project. Why is it that the media outlets are not painting this picture? If this was Clinton, or Jim Wright, or Nixon, or Reagan, we would have had a much bigger "hammer" - instead, I keep seeing stories that focus more upon Tommy's flaccid denials.

[donkeyotay]

10. It's such a juicy, albeit complex, story, too. But GOP whitewash media

doesn't want to tell it. Using charitable organizations to launder money, using spouses to transfer bribes, doing bidness for Russians... what would the good Christian folks say?

Can you just imagine the shit storm if all this was in President Gore's administration?

[klook]

13. We minions of Hell are doing such a good job

of persecuting these Christians! :evilgrin:

Actually, of course, the real success story is convincing Americans that it's "Christian" to lie, cheat, steal, and kill--and that opposition to lying, cheating, stealing, killing is heresy.

People like DeLay, Pat Robertson, Bill Bennett, Ann Coulter, Ralph Reed, George W. Bush, and the rest are doing such a great job for Hell! Unfortunately, there are still plenty of alert real Christians who understand that the Christofascists are on our side.

Come on, fellow denizens of the fiery furnace! We have to work harder for Satan! 666 4 ever!

[wordpix]

28. I love that, "minions of hell," he, he

[Rose Siding]

6. Oh, let it be a sweet sweet deal

With TONS of "cooperation" in ongoing investigations.

http://www.pursuantgroup.com.nyud.net:8090/phimu/images/fingers_crossed.jpg

[underpants]

15. 5 years but the more he cooperates the more he gets time off

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1790766

Tony Rudy, DeLay's former deputy chief of staff, was told by a U.S. District judge that he could receive up to five years in prison but the sentence could be much less depending on his cooperation with prosecutors in the case, which earlier brought a guilty plea from lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Rudy is the second former aide to DeLay to plead guilty in the scandal.

[warrens]

22. Five years for selling legislation?

The rat-bastard should be 100 before he sees the light of day. Like the prisoner in The Wizard of Id.

[UpInArms]

8. It's Official: Former DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty in Lobbyist Probe

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B17D065D8%2D8926%2D4B67%2DBDDD%2DB1DC7BB8D3B6%7D&dist=newsfinder&symbol=&siteid=mktw

11:44 AM ET 3/31/06 FORMER DELAY AIDE PLEADS GUILTY IN LOBBYIST PROBE: A.P.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A former deputy chief of staff to Rep. Tom DeLay pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation of lobbying fraud, the Associated Press reported on Friday. A U.S. District judge told Tony Rudy that he could receive up to five years in prison, but the sentence could be less depending on his level of cooperation with prosecutors in the case, according to the A.P.

(edited to add link and blurb)

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. Ruh Roh

I'm sure Tommy Boy is well aware that the house of cards is crumbling. Hence his absurdist marytrdom posturing, pretending that a federal investigation into corruption is some manner of secret pogrom against US Christians (a more laughable assertion in politics would be impossible). Tick tock, Tommy Boy. The walls are closing in, and might reach the dimension of - oh, I dunno - 5'X8'? :rofl:

[Tight_rope]

11. Wonder if the Bug Man still thinks he's not going to be exterminated.

[wordpix]

29. he's running to stay R-TX. Anyone know how his campaign's going?

the Dems should be making mincemeat out of De Bug in TX.

[ronnykmarshall]

12. Sing little birdy, sing!

[darkmaestro019]

32. OT, your sig picture is fantastic--surely it's shopped? nt

[sonias]

14. They all fall down

Such great news.

Sonia

[quaoar]

16. The temperature is rising

for "Hot Tub" Tom.

Pretty soon DeLay will be so radioactive Bush will be denying he's ever met him: "DeLay? I might have shaken his hand once, but I shake a lot of hands."

[ooglymoogly]

26. it isn't surprising nt

[anitar1]

17. No wonder that Tom wants his gun returned. n/t

[laststeamtrain]

18. C'mere kid. Rudy wants to buy yez a drink...

These guys are such 'classic' low-lifes...

[wryter2000]

19. As lovely as all this is...

..when is it going to spread to some of the Repukes in Congress? So far, Delay is only indicted because of Texas campaign law. He hasn't been charged with anything related to Abramoff.

[Texaroo]

21. Stay tuned...

Pretty soon, the "K Street Project" that provided employment for a bevy of DeLay ex-staffers (and for his wife and daughter) will be intrinsically linked to Abramoff. DeLay's wife received pretty clearly improper payments from one of Abramoff's storefront charities, which received 40% of its funding from Russians who had legislation that DeLay supported.

So, essentially, DeLay's wife personally profited from a huge donation from foreign nationals seeking influence, and DeLay's vote "on the merits" supported them.

This is a connect-the-dots thing: with everybody around him pleading guilty, he is only going to be able to keep up his "I had no knowledge - that was THEM," charade for so long... I smell a federal indictment within 6 months.

[wryter2000]

23. Welcome to DU

:hi:

I'm hoping you're right. It's just that we've been aware of their crimes for so long, and it seems as if nothing happens to them.

[sattahipdeep]

24. The plea agreement

The plea agreement contains no allegations that DeLay, who it describes as
Representative 2, did anything wrong. :eyes:


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/03/31/national/w081820S37.DTL

[wordpix]

31. everything moves so slowly, so much for "right to a speedy trial"

[sattahipdeep]

20. Big deal?

What "cooperating with authorities" means, in practice, primarily consists of
"ratting out" some government pre-selected associates-turned-targets, leaning
heavily towards inconsequential Congresspersons unfortunate enough to be less
influential than their peers.

Big deal. A few schmucks are peeing their
Sansabelts. If public outcry grows too loud, it
appears there may even be a contingency plan:
offering up Katherine Harris. Even die-hard
Republicans aren't too troubled by that prospect.

http://www.madcowprod.com/

[chelsea0011]

25. Another goes to jail over this witch hunt

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


The politics of personal detruction.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[mwb970]

27. What grandiosity.

DeLay wants us to believe that an "attack" on him (that is, his being indicted for a variety of crimes) is in fact an attack on all American Christians.

I guess he considers himself to be the spiritual leader of all Christians here, although I've never heard of anyone else who thinks that.

[Vidar]

30. Ye-haw!!!

[flamingyouth]

33. kick

[redphish]

34. Guilty plea in US bribery probe

It's slowly starting to hit the fan.

<snip>

An ex-aide to a top Republican lawmaker has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a corruption case that has rattled the US political establishment.Tony Rudy, ex-deputy chief-of-staff of former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, admitted to conspiring in a federal court in Washington.Mr Rudy also promised to co-operate with an ongoing enquiry focusing on dealings of several top US politicians.

<snip>


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4866964.stm


:evilgrin:

[MADem]

35. Ahhhhhhh!!! What joy!

Mr Rudy, 39, entered the guilty plea on one count of conspiracy.

He admitted to conspiring with Abramoff in influencing members of Congress both while working for Mr DeLay in 1995-2000 and after leaving the office.

As Mr DeLay's aide, Mr Rudy took payments from Abramoff in 2000 and also helped in stopping an internet-gambling bill opposed to Abramoff's clients, according to court papers.

After leaving Mr DeLay's office and becoming a lobbyist himself, he was involved in arranging an overseas golf trip for a Republican congressman, identified as Representative 1.

Mr Rudy faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a big fine.
But under the co-operation agreement, he is expected to be sentenced to lesser term.

[Jack Rabbit]

36. Justice DeLayed is justice denied

!!

[kiteinthewind]

37. It just keeps getting better!!

:toast: :toast:

[redphish]

38. Sorry, didn't see that this had already been posted.

:blush: