AUSTIN, Texas —Tom DeLay, the former House
majority leader, was sentenced to three years in
prison on Monday after convictions for money
laundering and conspiracy stemming from his
role in a scheme to channel corporate
contributions to Texas state races in 2002.
Mr. DeLay, once one of the most powerful and
polemical Republican congressmen in the state ’s
history, was ushered out of Travis County Court
after the sentencing and was taken by sheriff ’s
deputies to the county jail, where he was
expected to post a $10,000 bond and be released
pending an appeal.
After listening to Mr. DeLay say he felt he had
done nothing wrong, Judge Pat Priest sentenced
him to three years in prison for the conspiracy
count and 10 years ’ probation for the money
laundering count. The judge rejected arguments
from Mr. DeLay that the trial had been a politically
motivated vendetta mounted by an overzealous
Democratic District Attorney.
“Before there were Republicans and Democrats,
there was America, and what America is about is
the rule of law, ” the judge said just before
pronouncing the sentence.
In November, a jury convicted Mr. DeLay of
money laundering and conspiracy to commit
money laundering in an unusual trial. It was the
first time the money-laundering law had been
used in Texas against a politician who had
circumvented the state ban on corporate money.
The evidence at the trial showed that Mr. DeLay
and two associates illegally channeled $190,000 in
corporate donations in 2002 to several Republcian
candidates for the state legislature, using the
Republican National Committee as a conduit.
Texas bans corporations from giving directly to
political campaigns.
The donations were seen as critical in the
Republican takeover of the state legislature that
year. Once they had control, Texas Republcian
leaders pushed through a controversial
congressional redistricting plan — engineered by
Mr. DeLay — that sent more Texas Republicans to
Congress in 2004 and helped to consolidate his
power in Washington.
Before his sentencing, Mr. DeLay said he was
perplexed about how the criminal code could be
applied to what he did. The practice of swapping
corporate contributions given to state committees
for individual contributions given to national
parties was commonplace in 2002, he said. “I
never intended to break the law — I have always
played by the rules,” he told the judge.
“I cannot be remorseful for something I didn’t
think I did,” he said.
As he has since the start of the trial, Mr. DeLay
portrayed himself as the victim of a sustained
campaign of politically motivated prosecutions by
Democrats on both the state and Federal levels
for more than 15 years. His voice broke as he
described the pain of losing his right to vote. “I
cannot tell you what that means to me,” he said.
Mr. Delay’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said he
expected the convictions to be overturned on
appeal. The appeal will argue, among other
things, that the money-laundering law should not
apply to the transactions, since the money did
not come from an illegal activity. He has said that
Mr. DeLay may also raise a First Amendment
claim, arguing that the entire Texas law that he
was accused of evading is unconstitutional in the
wake of the Citizens United decision by the United
States Supreme Court. “This will not stand,” he
said.
The Travis County District Attorney, Rosemary
Lehmberg, denied that the prosecution was a
form of political payback. Though her office had
asked the judge to give Mr. DeLay a longer
sentence of 10 years in prison, she said the
sentence the judge handed down seemed fair to
her.
Mr. DeLay is likely to remain free while his appeal
wends its way through the courts, since he was
given a sentence of less than 10 years, Ms.
Lehmberg said.
Mr. DeLay is likely to remain free for months or
even years while his appeal wends its way
through the courts, Ms. Lehmberg said. In Texas,
only people sentenced to more than 10 years
must serve time while waiting for their appeal.
Others can post a bond.
Before sentencing, Mr. DeGuerin had argued Mr.
DeLay should be given only probation. He said
the former politician had already paid a high price,
losing his position in Congress.
Dennis Hastert, a Illinois politician who was House
Speaker from 1999 to 2006,testified on DeLay’s
behalf before Judge Priest announced his
decision. He said Mr. DeLay was not power-
hungry, but was driven by a deep-seeded need
to help others. He portrayed Mr. DeLay as a
principled man with religious values who had
worked hard to cut taxes. He also described Mr.
DeLay’s work helping foster children and the
assistance he gave to relatives of a police officers
killed during a 1998 shooting at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington.
"That’s the real Tom DeLay that a lot of people
never got to see," Mr. Hastert said.
Mr. Delay, who represented a slice of Houston’s
southern suburbs for 22 years, was forced to
resign his position as the second most powerful
member of the House in 2005 after a grand jury
indicted him in Texas. He was also under
investigation by the Justice Department for his
relationship with Jack Abramoff, the Washington
lobbyist convicted in an influence peddling
scandal. But that inquiry never led to an
indictment and was ended last summer.
In the House, he was known as “The Hammer”
for his no-hold-barred style of politicking and
campaigning. He was serving as the Majority
Whip in 2002, marshaling the Republicans to
support President Bush ’s agenda at a time when
the G.O.P. had a very thin majority.
Evidence at trial showed Mr. DeLay and two of his
top political aides saw a Repunblican takeover of
the statehouse as the key to boosting the
Republican ’s power in Washington by pushing
through a new redistricting plan for Texas.
Mr. DeLay offered no apologies for having
succeeded in doing just that. He said he had
played by the rules as he understood them and
had fought for his conservative values.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/us/politics/11delay.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
majority leader, was sentenced to three years in
prison on Monday after convictions for money
laundering and conspiracy stemming from his
role in a scheme to channel corporate
contributions to Texas state races in 2002.
Mr. DeLay, once one of the most powerful and
polemical Republican congressmen in the state ’s
history, was ushered out of Travis County Court
after the sentencing and was taken by sheriff ’s
deputies to the county jail, where he was
expected to post a $10,000 bond and be released
pending an appeal.
After listening to Mr. DeLay say he felt he had
done nothing wrong, Judge Pat Priest sentenced
him to three years in prison for the conspiracy
count and 10 years ’ probation for the money
laundering count. The judge rejected arguments
from Mr. DeLay that the trial had been a politically
motivated vendetta mounted by an overzealous
Democratic District Attorney.
“Before there were Republicans and Democrats,
there was America, and what America is about is
the rule of law, ” the judge said just before
pronouncing the sentence.
In November, a jury convicted Mr. DeLay of
money laundering and conspiracy to commit
money laundering in an unusual trial. It was the
first time the money-laundering law had been
used in Texas against a politician who had
circumvented the state ban on corporate money.
The evidence at the trial showed that Mr. DeLay
and two associates illegally channeled $190,000 in
corporate donations in 2002 to several Republcian
candidates for the state legislature, using the
Republican National Committee as a conduit.
Texas bans corporations from giving directly to
political campaigns.
The donations were seen as critical in the
Republican takeover of the state legislature that
year. Once they had control, Texas Republcian
leaders pushed through a controversial
congressional redistricting plan — engineered by
Mr. DeLay — that sent more Texas Republicans to
Congress in 2004 and helped to consolidate his
power in Washington.
Before his sentencing, Mr. DeLay said he was
perplexed about how the criminal code could be
applied to what he did. The practice of swapping
corporate contributions given to state committees
for individual contributions given to national
parties was commonplace in 2002, he said. “I
never intended to break the law — I have always
played by the rules,” he told the judge.
“I cannot be remorseful for something I didn’t
think I did,” he said.
As he has since the start of the trial, Mr. DeLay
portrayed himself as the victim of a sustained
campaign of politically motivated prosecutions by
Democrats on both the state and Federal levels
for more than 15 years. His voice broke as he
described the pain of losing his right to vote. “I
cannot tell you what that means to me,” he said.
Mr. Delay’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said he
expected the convictions to be overturned on
appeal. The appeal will argue, among other
things, that the money-laundering law should not
apply to the transactions, since the money did
not come from an illegal activity. He has said that
Mr. DeLay may also raise a First Amendment
claim, arguing that the entire Texas law that he
was accused of evading is unconstitutional in the
wake of the Citizens United decision by the United
States Supreme Court. “This will not stand,” he
said.
The Travis County District Attorney, Rosemary
Lehmberg, denied that the prosecution was a
form of political payback. Though her office had
asked the judge to give Mr. DeLay a longer
sentence of 10 years in prison, she said the
sentence the judge handed down seemed fair to
her.
Mr. DeLay is likely to remain free while his appeal
wends its way through the courts, since he was
given a sentence of less than 10 years, Ms.
Lehmberg said.
Mr. DeLay is likely to remain free for months or
even years while his appeal wends its way
through the courts, Ms. Lehmberg said. In Texas,
only people sentenced to more than 10 years
must serve time while waiting for their appeal.
Others can post a bond.
Before sentencing, Mr. DeGuerin had argued Mr.
DeLay should be given only probation. He said
the former politician had already paid a high price,
losing his position in Congress.
Dennis Hastert, a Illinois politician who was House
Speaker from 1999 to 2006,testified on DeLay’s
behalf before Judge Priest announced his
decision. He said Mr. DeLay was not power-
hungry, but was driven by a deep-seeded need
to help others. He portrayed Mr. DeLay as a
principled man with religious values who had
worked hard to cut taxes. He also described Mr.
DeLay’s work helping foster children and the
assistance he gave to relatives of a police officers
killed during a 1998 shooting at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington.
"That’s the real Tom DeLay that a lot of people
never got to see," Mr. Hastert said.
Mr. Delay, who represented a slice of Houston’s
southern suburbs for 22 years, was forced to
resign his position as the second most powerful
member of the House in 2005 after a grand jury
indicted him in Texas. He was also under
investigation by the Justice Department for his
relationship with Jack Abramoff, the Washington
lobbyist convicted in an influence peddling
scandal. But that inquiry never led to an
indictment and was ended last summer.
In the House, he was known as “The Hammer”
for his no-hold-barred style of politicking and
campaigning. He was serving as the Majority
Whip in 2002, marshaling the Republicans to
support President Bush ’s agenda at a time when
the G.O.P. had a very thin majority.
Evidence at trial showed Mr. DeLay and two of his
top political aides saw a Repunblican takeover of
the statehouse as the key to boosting the
Republican ’s power in Washington by pushing
through a new redistricting plan for Texas.
Mr. DeLay offered no apologies for having
succeeded in doing just that. He said he had
played by the rules as he understood them and
had fought for his conservative values.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/us/politics/11delay.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
