Tuesday, December 06, 2005 Money Laundering Charges Stick to DeLay Statesman: "Judge Pat Priest ordered Tom DeLay and 2 co-defendants to be tried next yr on charges that they laundered corporate money into political donations during the '02 elections. The judge, however, threw out the indictment accusing the defendants of conspiring to violate a TX law prohibiting the spending of corporate money in connection w/ a campaign. The judge ruled that conspiracy charges did not apply to the state's election code until the Legislature changed state law in '03 -- after the alleged offenses had been committed." And as Kos points out: "The 2nd indictment was thrown out on a technicality- that what is illegal now wasn't illegal under state law when DeLay committed his crimes. So there is no vindication here. And there won't be unless he emerges from a trial w/ a "not guilty" verdict. |