DeLay in the Time of RICO

[Rose Siding]

A few days ago, Joshua Micah Marshall at http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007477.php reminisced about the RICO suit filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee against Mr. DeLay, some of his closest associates and various organizations operating under his effective control. Marshall is interested in how the suit was received at the time. He recalls that it was "laughed off the political stage," a stinging assessment but not far from the truth. The following, one account of the party and press reaction to the suit, is prompted by the questions Marshall asked: " had the nub of what the operation was about. What happened to the case? And what was the reaction at the time from the established press worthies?"

First: what happened to the suit? After DeLay and his co-defendants attempted but failed to obtain a quick dismissal, the case was settled, with DeLay offering a representation that organizations within his network would not raise and spend $25 million in undisclosed, improperly raised funds on the 2000 Congressional elections. In filing the suit, DCCC had made clear its intent to prevent DeLay’s use of extortionate fundraising and sham tax-exempts to establish a shadow political operation able to function outside existing rules and law. Once that purpose was fulfilled, the further prosecution of the suit was unnecessary. And the organizations in question did not figure prominently in the 2000 elections.

Second: what was the political response to the suit, from press and members of the party? Much of it was the expression of horror at the purported ugliness of the suit, which was denounced as little more than a naked example of the politics of personal destruction. Some Members of Congress—Democratic Members of both the House and the Senate—called to complain to the DCCC and to Chairman Kennedy, and a number of them, questioning the legal basis for the suit, were referred to counsel. .........

There were gratifying shows of support for the action. DCCC Chairman Kennedy and House Democratic Leader Gephardt did not waver. Senate Democratic Leader Daschle, aware of the adverse reactions, requested a briefing so that he would be prepared to answer questions from colleagues, and then, fully satisfied with what he learned, he assured the DCCC of his support.
....
Nothing better illustrated the "mainstream" response than an op-ed published in the Times by well-known Democratic consultant and cable talk show host Paul Begala. "Democrats Play the Vengeance Game," The New York Times (May 10, 2000) at 31. Begala administered a high-minded rebuke of the DCCC, opening his piece with the categorical conclusion that the suit was "wrong, ethically, legally and politically.".....
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http://www.moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com/updates/enforcement.html?AID=601

[Demeter]

1. Thanks for Digging This Up--Very Informative

Just goes to show, it's been building for a long, long time, and the chickens have been defending the wolf. They deserve to be eaten! But not the rest of us.