DeLay Back to Court
By Jim Lynch on Nov 22, 2005 in House
Rep. Tom DeLay returns to court today with his lawyers asking for dismissal of the charges against him. AP:
Attorneys for Rep. Tom DeLay are hoping a judge will dismiss the conspiracy and money laundering charges against the former House majority leader so he can regain the powerful seat.
DeLay was to appear in court Tuesday before a judge who will decide whether the criminal case should continue to trial.
DeLay had to relinquish his leadership post in Congress after he was indicted in September. His attorneys are pushing for a December trial in hopes that DeLay is cleared so he can regain his title before Congress returns to session in January. Otherwise, lawmakers could elect a new majority leader.
Tuesday’s hearing is DeLay’s first before Senior Judge Pat Priest, who was appointed to the case after DeLay’s attorneys succeeded in having the first judge removed because of his campaign contributions to Democratic candidates and causes.
While we will have to wait and see how this plays out, to this non-lawyer it seems as if dismissing the charges is the correct thing to do. To me the charges apear to be nothing more than a political hatchet job without merit.
If the case goes forward to trial another hearing will most likely be held to determine if the case should be moved from Austin to DeLay’s home county of Fort Bend.
Whatever the results, I am not convinced that Rep. DeLay is the best person to lead the Republican Senate going forward. While he has driven many good initiatives, the Republicans need leadership that will return them to their fiscal conservatism and fight for those things that brought them to the majority. It is also important to have leadership that remembers that we are the majority.
UPDATE: AP’s latest report says,
Sphere: Related ContentRep. Tom DeLay will have to wait for a decision on whether conspiracy charges against him will be dropped without a trial, a judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing, Senior Judge Pat Priest said he wanted to read written responses from both sides before making his ruling, and didn’t say how long it might take. The hearing on various motions was continuing Tuesday.
Loading ...
