Delay's Court Appearance
Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Sugarland) appeared in a Texas courtroom today to face charges of conspiracy and money laundering. Unsurprisingly, Delay's first tactic was to call into question the integrity of the judge presiding over the case, Bob Perkins. You'll recall that Delay used the same smear tactics against Ronnie Earle, the prosecutor leading the investigation.
Delay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, cited donations that Perkins made to MoveOn.org during the 2004 election cycle and pointed out that MoveOn has been selling T-Shirts with Delay's mug shot on them. Perkins countered that he had neither seen nor purchased the offending T-shirt.
Delay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, cited donations that Perkins made to MoveOn.org during the 2004 election cycle and pointed out that MoveOn has been selling T-Shirts with Delay's mug shot on them. Perkins countered that he had neither seen nor purchased the offending T-shirt.
While Perkins did contribute to MoveOn, he did so in support of John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, to which he also contributed directly, and not in support MoveOn's campaign against Delay. Regardless, DeGuerin has requested that a different judge hear the case.
DeGuerin also is seeking to move the trial's location, fearing that Austin, a bastion of liberalism in an otherwise deep red state, won't be able to provide a fair trial for the embattled congressman. Perhaps DeGuerin believes Delay would be treated more "fairly" by a jury with more conservative and pro-GOP biases.
Delay was released on $10,000 bail.
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Comments (34)
Apparently, there is no such T-shirt.
Via Atrios
October 21, 2005 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Unsurprisingly, Delay's first tactic was to call into question the integrity of the judge presiding over the case,
Ah . . . the Saddam approach . . .
October 21, 2005 9:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd love to see the judge impose a gag order on Delay.
October 21, 2005 9:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
So let me get this straight. Being a Democrat disqualifies this Judge from doing his job? I thought this was America we lived in, where citizens are not discriminated based on political views.
This is the land of the free, not the home of the biased.
Does this mean that we should set up two court systems, one for Democrats and one for Republicans? After all, any Democratic judge will definitely throw the book at a Republican defendant, and vice versa. While we are at it, why don't we set up different court systems for men and women, whites and minorities, Catholics and Protestants?
I hope the judge rules against Delay's request. The judge's personal political affiliation has nothing to do with his ability to do his job.
October 21, 2005 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
If this judge recuses himself are their Republican alternatives or is this area of Texas so solidly Democratic? What is amusing about this all is that when Republican judges selected republican Ken Starr I do not remember a lot of complaining by Republicans.
October 21, 2005 10:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Does this mean that if I ever end up in front of the Supreme Court I can have Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts recused?
October 21, 2005 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
One assumes that the judge will quote from the Scalia decision In Re Ducks in his ruling...
sPh
October 21, 2005 10:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is such a T-shirt, but no apparent connection with to moveon:
http://www.cafepress.com/thewhitehouse
October 21, 2005 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently, there is no such T-shirt.
I made one last night. I'm sure lots of people are making them. It's an obvious, easy T-shirt idea. And there's a lot you can do with that smarmy picture. Plus, there is no copyright on the image.
Not recommended for prosecutors!
October 21, 2005 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
How will they ever find a jury of his peers? There are few people as crooked as Tom Delay.
October 21, 2005 10:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
My thought is that Delay is setting up for the appeal. The higher courts in Texas are very Republican including some very fiery ideologes.
October 21, 2005 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Delay and his advisors have made a decision to make him look as upbeat as possible at his arraignment. On TV, he looked positively happy to have been indicted. But how well does this go over with the general public? Does he think this is all some kind of joke?With his endless grinning and smarmy self-confidence, he is sending the public the message that he believes he is above the law. Watch it backfire completely.
October 21, 2005 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bingo! This is exactly the plan. It will be interesting to see how many Texas GOP judges have gotten money from DeLay and/or TRMPAC.
October 21, 2005 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
I used to work for a complete sociopath. The man could not tell the difference between right and wrong. It was all about him, and he figured he could "smile" his way out of any problem. Think Ted Bundy. Think Tom Delay.
October 21, 2005 10:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
There's got to be some really good quotes from him to paste onto that picture. Hmmm, somebody could make some money here. (guess I'm a closet republican after all)
dc
October 21, 2005 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
But did MoveOn.org have a DeLay mugshot t-shirt?
October 21, 2005 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
"I hope the judge rules against Delay's request. The judge's personal political affiliation has nothing to do with his ability to do his job. "
I believe that Texas has partisan judicial elections so his political affiliation may well have something to do with his ability to KEEP his job if the trial does not go as his base voters expect.
October 21, 2005 11:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
no, they didn't and they still don't.
other people made them, hell i've been wanting to make one for weeks now.
October 21, 2005 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
existenz:
I agree with your comments. If DeLay, or for that matter, right-wing politicians believe that they need to have someone from their own party, judge them, we have truly lost 'America'.
The judge should not only reject the motion, he should give DeLay and his lawyer a civics lesson on what it means to live under the American Justice System, as apparently, DeLay no longer understands the concept.
October 21, 2005 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well... if I was Earle, and my case got appealed to up the chain, my FIRST order of business would be to find out which of my appellate judges ever took money from TRMPAC and request they recuse themselves.
Then I'd find which ones took money from Tom Delay. Ditto.
Then I'd find which ones had donated to TRMPAC or Delay.
Obviously, having a judge who was the recipient OR a donor to the accused would be recusal worthy -- especially if merely donating to a political party was considered worth airing.
October 21, 2005 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmm, sort of reminds me of another current defendant's first day in court.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Mr. Hussein demanded of Judge Amin, who is Kurdish. "You know me, you are an Iraqi," he added before pleading not guilty to the charges.
October 21, 2005 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd love to see an acutal mug shot! That pic looked like it had been taken for an add for re-election. Where was the board that most people who are booked have to hold? You know with their name, and booking date, etc.? What a bunch of crap!
October 21, 2005 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Over at First Draft, Holden points out that DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin "had contributed $2,500 to the Democratic National Committee, $1,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and a total of $11,800 to six Democratic candidates including a $1,000 donation to Nick Lampson in 1996 who just happens to be running against Tom DeLay in 2006."
Interesting factoid. Guess as long as you don't contribute to that commie operation Moveon, you're ok.
October 21, 2005 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course, DeLay sees nothing wrong at all with being judged by House members on the Ethics Committee who have contributed money to his legal defense fund, and by a committee chairman, Doc Hastings, to whom DeLay's PAC has given roughly $6,000. Why to even suggest impropriety in that case is to criminalize politics. Move along now.
October 21, 2005 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe that Texas has partisan judicial elections so his political affiliation may well have something to do with his ability to KEEP his job if the trial does not go as his base voters expect.
Ahhh, there's the twist. Doing your job and Keeping your job are 2 different things. Hope this judge will worry about the doing instead of the keeping.
October 21, 2005 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a direct quote from DeLay that goes well with the mug shot:
"I am the federal government."
...
October 21, 2005 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also, did you notice DeLay referring to the "Democrat" Party? It curls my teeth when I hear them do that. Have you noticed that all these corporate felons, and now DeLay make a point of smiling like they are proud of themselves as they head into court. I am sure they think it makes tham look like they have nothing to worry about -- they're innocent, right?
What it makes them look like to me is that they have no respect for the process. What normal person wouldn't be humbled if accused of a felony, innocent or not? The only big fish I can recall having any sense of "gravitas" about court was Martha Stewart. She seemed appropriately concerned, and I admired her for it, just in comparison to all the others.
DeLay's mug shot looks like a campain shot! (OK I'm jealous! My BEST PICTURES look like a mug shot!)
October 21, 2005 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
microse68 Why, yes, of course! Gee, I wish we'd thought of that before Bush v Gore!
October 21, 2005 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's ok. By the time he gets to appeal he will be out of office, hopefully, and back in the exterminating of insects rather than political enemies.
October 21, 2005 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also, his statement that this was his first opportunity to refute the "baseless charges" is untrue. He was called to the Grand Jury and never testified. Even he retracted what he had said previously about that. What a weasel!
October 21, 2005 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, these judges are elected in partisan elections. Yet in this case, the judge is being elected in a very Democratic city. So, by keeping the case he will not only be doing his job, but will be making democrats happy. By the way, Tom Delay is hated nowhere in the world as much as he is in Austin. Delay's redistricting was targeting specifically (as well as a few other representatives) at Austin's beloved Rep. Lloyd Doggett. Doggett kept his job, but his district now goes all the way to Mexico from southeast Austin. West Austin is represented by a Republican from San Antonio, and Northeast Austin's district goes almost to Houston. From the roof of my house, I can see the other two districts.
October 21, 2005 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe Delay's attorney is trying to get the case moved totally out of Travis County. But yes, there are a few district judges that are Republicans, from the suburban areas of Austin.
October 21, 2005 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
They can't find twelve exterminators who will take bribes?
October 21, 2005 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
"So, by keeping the case he will not only be doing his job, but will be making democrats happy."
I submit that he will not make Democrats happy unless he secures a guilty verdict. His job is to conduct a fair trial, so doing his job may get him unelected. He dare not make any rulings favorable to Delay given the political environment, unless he is a man of supreme integrity.
October 22, 2005 7:00 AM | Reply | Permalink