Why a County DA Prosecutes State, Federal Officials
In August, during a hearing for the money laundering charge he faces, former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay said that he plans to “go after” the constitutionality of “a locally elected district attorney that can go after federally elected people in Travis County." He was referring to the Public Integrity Unit, which is funded by the Legislature but operates out of the Travis County district attorney's office. The Sugar Land Republican, whose trial begins in October, is hardly the first to employ the tactic of blaming the politicization of the unit — it has long been talking point No. 1 ...
Comments (6)
Kelso Castle
The Earle of Travis showed up to State District Judge John Onion’s court without proper or sufficient evidence and tried to continue his "witch hunt," but the judge would not allow it and the jury returned only to acquit the Senator – rightfully so. Earle had publicly raided State Treasury on his hunt - a crime in itself. And also remember that Ronnie Earle himself asked then-Governor Ann Richards to appoint him the US Senator instead of Bob Krueger, but Ann was smarter than that. I also remind you also that Judge Onion was a Democrat too, just like Earle, and he saw through the mess for what it was.
James Fannin
Nothing seems quite so odd as seeing the words "public integrity" and "Ronnie Earle" used in the same sentence. Ronnie Earle's prosecution of Kay Bailey Hutchison was a violation of the public trust. Even in Texas, known for its hardball politics, Earle demonstrated contempt for the will of the people by substituting his judgment for the judgment of a majority of Texas voters who chose Hutchison to fill what had been a "safe" Democratic seat. It seems clear that Earle’s prosecution was simply an attempt to use his office to reclaim a senate seat for the Democrats that they could not win on the merits. It is simply false to claim that Earle failed to go to trial because of the judge's ruling on the evidence; he failed to go forward because his case was inherently weak and a full trial would have exposed him as having abused the public trust - which he did.
Hopefully, Ronnie Earle will never live down this shameful behavior. Several years ago, I was at a 6th Street bar in Austin where piano-playing comedians entertain tourists with their dueling piano act. One of their bits involves going through the each letter and asking the audience to name their favorite curse word associated with that letter. The audience was doing well until they got to the letter "e." No one had a good curse word and the piano-playing comedian joked that there are apparently no good curse words beginning with the letter "e." To which one local jokester responded by yelling "Earle, Ronnie Earle." He brought the house down.
And frankly it is fitting that Ronnie Earle has become synonymous with both a curse word and partisan political chicanery. His unprincipled abuse of his office to advance his partisan political agenda will likely go down as a shameful chapter in Texas political history. Republicans should, however, probably give him some small credit for helping to usher in the modern Republican era. His ugly, partisan prosecution of Hutchison was one factor among many that caused a large number of Texans to reject the Democrat's long strangle hold on Texas politics and toss them out across the entire state.
Sharon Cooper Morgan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Dabbling in witch hunting? GOP are not ones to talk. What hypocrites!
Jack Van Le via Texas Tribune on Facebook
There is a difference in witch hunting and witchcraft. Didn't you ever see the play "The Crucible". I'd say witch hunting has hurt a lot more people than witchcraft every has, did, or will
Robert Concord
Tom DeLay may be the wrong person to do it, but Earle's so-called "public integrity unit" is long overdue for the junkheap. Under Earle, it was as partisan as the day is long. In any other Texas county except Travis, he would have been voted out as inept and overly partisan, instead of being allowed to fade into well deserved political oblivion.
Earle's favorite tactic is to use taxpayer funds to elongate proceedings and wear down political defendants. It didn't work with Jim Mattox and Kay Hutchison, because they were able to finance a legal team and defend themselves, and it won't work with DeLay, either. Remember that the "investigation" of DeLay started in late 2002! Yes, 2002, and his trial is just hoving into view. Earle is celebrated in liberal circles for derailing DeLay's political career even while he denied DeLay the opportunity to go to trial. This is nothing except an abuse of the legal system.
The "public integrity unit" does not inspire public confidence, and it is not even-handed. Earle's defense -- that he prosecutes Democrats, too -- is ridiculous. There were virtually no Republicans in statewide office during the first part of his tenure, and his Democratic prosecutions always were targeting members of the other faction of the party. What a coincidence!
True that Republicans have been talking about this outrage for years -- that doesn't make their criticisms wrong. In fact, it underscores them, because the bias remains. For the last decade or more, we've had a Governor and a Lt. Governor who have not had the courage to take on Earle and his legacy. (Cathy Adams, a Perry supporter, should take note.) Maybe it's time they did.
Mary Lynn VanZandt Neill via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Is DeLay on "Dancing With the Stars" with a different partner this time?Relax.it was a joke.Kinda.