Republican Gains Cheer a Former Power Broker at His Money-Laundering Trial

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

AUSTIN, Tex. — On the day after Republicans trounced Democrats in the midterm elections, Tom DeLay strolled around a courtroom here with an American flag lapel pin, looking carefree and chatting with strangers at his money-laundering trial with the habitual charm of a seasoned politician.

* * *
Many of the facts are not in dispute. In 2002, Mr. DeLay formed a state political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, with the goal of winning a majority in the Texas House and electing its first Republican speaker since Reconstruction.

The committee quickly raised nearly $200,000 from corporate lobbyists, many of them in Washington. Corporate donations cannot be legally given to Texas candidates, so the Texas committee sent the money to the Republican National Committee, which in turn sent the money from a separate, noncorporate account to seven Republican candidates in Texas.

Six of those candidates won. The Republicans took the Texas House, and the next year forced through a Congressional redistricting plan that led to the defeat of several senior Democrats.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/politics/07delay.html?_r=1&hpw

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Of course, as some "progressives" on DU are already loudly declaring that they may not vote in 2012 in a Latino for Reforms approach to activism, here is Tom Delay who engineered massive voter suppression in Texas to dilute Democratic voting strength.

[trusty elf]

1. "looking carefree"....

Revolting! :puke:

[Doctor_J]

2. Delay needs to go to prison with Stanford

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9505749&mesg_id=9505749

[No Elephants]

3. Why only DeLay? The RNC was also part of the money laundering ploy.