more DeLay nonsense

Cute, But No Cigar

DeLay accuses Earle of taking corporate funds [Washington Times]

Rep. Tom DeLay said District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who is prosecuting him for trying to involve corporate money in Texas politics, has taken such contributions himself. "It's real interesting he has this crusade against corporate funds. He took corporate funds, and he's taken union funds, for his own re-election. That's against the law," Mr. DeLay told The Washington Times yesterday. A review of Mr. Earle's campaign-finance filings in Texas shows that he has received contributions from the AFL-CIO, including a $250 donation on Aug. 29, 2000. He also has received contributions listed on the disclosure forms only as coming from the name of an incorporated entity, often a law firm. Mr. Earle has said repeatedly that state law bars corporate and union contributions. Attempts to reach Mr. Earle yesterday for comment, including a phone message left on his assistant's voice mail detailing Mr. DeLay's charge, were unsuccessful.

Nice tag team work, Washington Times. Embarassing reporting, however. You see, it's is not illegal to accept corporate or union funds, and it is a good thing for DeLay because he would already be in jail. It is highly hilarious that he would have the nerve to say, "That's against the law." No, what is against the law is spending that corporate or union money on anything except overhead...

State law generally prohibits corporate money from being spent on campaigns except for a political committee's administrative overhead such as rent and utilities. Texans for a Republican Majority spent corporate money on pollsters, phone banks and consultants, arguing that the expenses were part of the committee's overhead.

Now $250 sounds like about the right amount to cover some light bills. Hundreds of thousands of dollars like TRMPAC raised?

Not so much. And as I've argued for some time, the single most damning piece of evidence in the case was probably this fundraising appeal TRMPAC sent out early on...

"Unlike other organizations, your corporate contribution to TRMPAC will be put to productive use," the piece said. "Rather than just paying for overhead, your support will fund a series of productive and innovative activities designed to increase our level of engagement in the political arena." [emphasis added]

(The Stakeholder)
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DeLay is really getting desperate! I know that the repugs always think that they don't have to have facts on their side, but they are looking more & more foolish all the time!