Delay Under Investigation: Texas Fundraising

[G_j]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-finance3jan03,1,7968111.story?coll=la-home-headlines
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Political Fundraising in Texas Is Target of Probe
Officials look at whether money linked to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay improperly financed Republican campaigns.

By Scott Gold
Times Staff Writer

January 3, 2004

AUSTIN, Texas ? Authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into whether corporate money, including hundreds of thousands of dollars linked to U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, improperly financed the Republican Party's takeover of the Texas Capitol.

The probe is focused on several political and fundraising organizations run by Republican activists, investigators said. One of the organizations, the political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority, has direct ties to DeLay, a Texas Republican and one of the most powerful politicians in Washington.

At issue is whether the organizations improperly used corporate contributions to help finance the campaigns of more than 20 Republican candidates for the Texas House of Representatives in 2002, according to documents and interviews with prosecutors and government investigators.

Many campaign finance watchdog organizations believe the investigation is a test of whether "soft money" ? unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals ? will begin playing a more direct role in state and local elections.
Such donations were outlawed at the national level by a campaign finance reform law, recently upheld by the Supreme Court, but the measure does not ban the contributions at the state level. Reform advocates worry that soft-money donors will begin contributing at the state level to curry favor and advance their causes.
...more...

[RandomKoolzip]

1. Okay, I'm taking bets here...

Who here says this story loses its legs by wednesday?

And who says this story won't get any legs at all?

Sorry for being so cynical, but it's not like the media is doing its job anymore, unfortunately.....Sounds like another story where we all go, "This is HUGE!" and then nothing happens.

[are_we_united_yet]

15. Yeah

I believe it dies. DeLay is too much of a horses ass to go down in flames.

[dusty64]

18. I haven't heard a peep

of it outside this forum. As well as the other scandals surrounding this pusbag POS.

[Faygo Kid]

19. He walks. C'mon.

This is Texas, remember. And DeLay's power and influence makes Kenneth Lay look like a lightweight, and who here believes Lay will ever see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a jail? Those pursuing this are gonna have their careers handed to them by the Dark Lord, with Bush's full blessing.

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Best news I've had today!

:bounce:

[Ksec]

3. YES!

Gad I despise that guy ever since I heard him giving a speech to young repugs and he was so treasonous with his generalizations about liberals blacks mexicans gays etc. A nice jail cell would be so righteous.

[Ksec]

4. BTW hes a coward to boot

Is he still afraid to stay in NYC during the convention?

[Fovea]

5. And..

OTOH, Fighting the Westar debacle at the same time will be like playing russian roulette with a handgrenade.

[G_j]

6. keep in mind what DIDN'T happen to Ashcroft

just a hand slap for his fundraising violations.

just add it to the list... :(

[goforit]

7. Sweet music for America!!!....Cliff Baxter is tap dancing up in heaven.

Cliff Baxter from Enron and Dana Rice from El Paso suspiciously
died in his sugarland territory!!!

Hope they are smiling!!!

I'm sure there is more to come.

[rasputin1952]

8. I also found it interesting that the despised ACLU is helping...

to protect TAP, in keeping their records secret.

Just one more case that shows me these hypocritical rethug's use ANY avenue to protect their interests.

DeLay is a screech monkey; I truly hope they find this flatulent piece of meat guilty of any of the possible crimes he is involved in.

He is, like his pinheaded friend in the WH, nothing but a coward. Always hiding behind the flag, while claiming to protect it and what it stands for. The next flag that gets burned in this country, just might have DeLay wrapped up inside it.

O8)

[Hippo_Tron]

9. Karma will catch up to Mr. DeLay...

One day we will win the House and one day he will be handing over the gavel to somebody he's trashed.

[rumguy]

10. Delay is a sorry excuse for a human being...

I honestly believe the world would be better off without him. Wasn't it his idea to have a luxury liner at the puke convention in NYC? Tone def piece of shit.

[Hippo_Tron]

12. Bill Schneider pointed out that the dems wanted one as well...

Of course DeLay being the ass that is turned it into a huge embarassment for the GOP.

[proud patriot]

11. YAY!!!!!!!!! Fabulous

delay is a sorry excuse for a human

[stickdog]

13. This can all be blamed on

Howard Dean.

[murielm99]

14. Nah. Clinton!

:kick:

Yer sposta blame everything on Clinton.

[are_we_united_yet]

16. I'd like to correct you on a technicality

It is Clinton's penis' fault.

[dusty64]

17. SO much scandal and corruption

surrounding the bugman, yet he continues to skate away. The "man" is pure extreme rightwing evil, but time after time the media refuses to tell the truth about him and what he stands for. I'm a little rusty on the past, but didn't much less bring down the House Democratic leader in the early Nineties and lead to the 1994 election debacle? Of course, I think I remember the media being ALL over the Democrats back then. What's changed? (Nevermind, I do know the answer to that question.)

[G_j]

20. what ever happened over

the issue of his abuse of homeland security with the Texas legislature?