Republican fund-raising leads to indictments of 3 DeLay aides
Live by the sword, die by the sword, eh? That Tom DeLay is a corrupt and venal politician is hardly a secret in this state. That it has taken so long to get this close to him is disturbing, but at least justice appears to be in the process of being done.
Democrats in Texas have long suspected, and in some cases known, that DeLay is an evil, corrupt politican who cares for little save his own personal power and self-aggrandizement. It’s been said that power corrupts, and there is no better illustration of that than Tom DeLay.
The grand jury returned indictments against DeLay political aide Jim Ellis and fund-raiser Warren RoBold and John Colyandro, who was executive director of DeLay’s political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority. Colyandro faces 14 charges, RoBold was named in nine charges, and Ellis was named in one.
Colyandro and Ellis were indicted once each on a charge of felony money laundering….
Texans for a Republican Majority raised about $600,000 from corporate donors in the 2002 election cycle, with much of the money going to pay for fund-raising and other political activities to help about 20 Republican candidates win seats in the Texas House. That gave Republicans a majority in the state Legislature for the first time since Reconstruction.
That majority was crucial for DeLay last year as he pushed a major congressional redistricting bill through the Legislature.
This series of indictments is no doubt merely the opening salvo in what promises to be a long and bloody political skirmish. For those of us on the sidelines, this battle ought to prove highly entertaining.
To give an indication of the breadth and depth of these indictments, the grand jury also invited several corporations to get it on the fun. Hey, you didn’t think indictments of Republicans wouldn’t involve Big Business, did you?
• Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care Corp.; umbrella organization of some of the nation’s largest nursing home operators. Donation: $100,000.
• Bacardi USA, Inc.; Miami-based subsidiary of the Bahamas-based liquor producer. Donation: $20,000.
• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.; Lebanon, Tenn.-based subsidiary of restaurant and retail chain. Donation: $25,000.
• Diversified Collections Services, Inc.; San Leandro, Calif.-based debt-collection agency. Donation: $50,000.
• Questerra Corp.; Charlottesville, Va.-based information technology subsidiary of Meadwestvaco Corp. Donation: $50,000.
• Sears, Roebuck and Co.; Chicago suburb-based retailer. Donation: $25,000.
• Westar Energy, Inc.; Topeka, Kan.-based electric utility. Donation: $25,000.
• The Williams Companies, Inc.; Tulsa, Okla.-based natural gas company. Donation: $25,000.
Yes, these indictments implicate only aides of Tom DeLay, not DeLay himself. Still, this is as close as anyone has been able to get to “The Hammer”. Can it be only a matter of time before DeLay himself is indicted, and, hopefully, ultimately convicted? Be still, my foolish heart….
Of course, an indictment and 50 cents might get you a cup of coffee at your local Starbucks. Tom DeLay is a powerful man with powerful connections. Even with this indictment and Rep. Chris Bell’s ethics complaint in the House, the smart money will remain on DeLay to beat this rap. Still, you have to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Chris Bell will be remembered as the man who found the chink in Tom DeLay’s armor. Perhaps now that DeLay is being publicly exposed as a corrupt, venal politico, people in the district will begin to see him for what he is- a power-mad martinet bent on being the power behind the Presidency. After all, for the first time in recent memory, Democrats are running a strong, legitimate alternative to DeLay in Richard Morrison. If people will pay attention, perhaps they will begin to see what their Congressman has been up to and realize that it’s time for a change.
Ah, hell…who am I kidding? Tom DeLay could probably goose-step naked down the grassy median on Bay Area Blvd without it impacting his re-election prospects.
