Tag Archives: Tom DeLay

Can you believe it’s been ten years?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Ten years (and one week) ago, four defeated Democratic candidates for the State House filed a lawsuit against the Texas Association of Business, claiming that TAB funneled illegal corporate contributions into state legislative races in the 2002 election. As you … Continue reading →

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Colyandro takes a plea

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this on Friday. It took five minutes for Capitol figure John Colyandro to end a decade-long saga that swept his boss, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, out of Congress and politics altogether. Colyandro, the last individual with … Continue reading →

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DeLay argues his case before the appeals court panel

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an old, familiar argument. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay should not go to prison on money-laundering charges because the 2002 campaign transaction involved a $190,000 check and not cash, his lawyer argued before the Third Court of … Continue reading →

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Doesn’t he know that Valjean was French?

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Poor, pitiful Tom DeLay. DeLay, and his attorney, Brian Wice, are hoping to get his convictions overturned. On Oct. 10, they will finally get a chance to make their case to the 3rd Court of Appeals, arguing the once-powerful Republican … Continue reading →

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More DeLay trial news

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some other action on the Tom DeLay front this week. The Tom DeLay legal marathon inched forward Wednesday on two separate fronts. John Colyandro, a DeLay co-defendant who has been under investigation since 2003, found out his trial won’t start … Continue reading →

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Henson removed from DeLay appeals case

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Score one for Team DeLay. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has won a tactical victory with the removal of Justice Diane Henson, a Democrat, from his appeal. A motion to remove Henson was granted late Friday without comment … Continue reading →

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Former DeLay aide Ellis pleads guilty

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was out of the blue. Tom DeLay’s chief political aide, Jim Ellis, pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of making an illegal campaign contribution during the 2002 election. Ellis, who headed DeLay’s Americans for a Republican Majority political … Continue reading →

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A trio of trial updates

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Planned Parenthood versus Texas: A ruling affecting health care, including contraception, for some 130,000 low-income Texas women probably won’t come until late this year as Planned Parenthood and the state of Texas plan for mid-October oral arguments in their legal … Continue reading →

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Will the last judge on the Third Court of Appeals please issue a ruling on Tom DeLay?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The way this is going, we may have to start importing judges from other states. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s appeal has taken an unexpected turn as three Republican justices removed themselves from his money laundering case in … Continue reading →

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“Checks aren’t cash” back before 3rd Court of Appeals

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes when you least expect it, Tom DeLay pops up in the news. It would defy common sense to reverse the three-year prison sentence of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay because his money-laundering case involved a check instead … Continue reading →

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DeLay files appeal of his conviction

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The man has been a boon for the defense bar, I’ll say that much for him. Tom DeLay’s appellate lawyer tapped a movie musical and Shakespeare in a wide-ranging appeal that argues the former U.S. House majority leader was wrongly … Continue reading →

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Taking aim at the Voting Rights Act

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In responding to a petition by State Rep. Marc Veasey and State Sen. Wendy Davis to intervene against the state in its lawsuit to get the federal court to pre-clear the new maps, the Attorney General responded by saying that … Continue reading →

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Lampson says he’s looking at CD14

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Some potential good news from the Chron story about Ron Paul’s announcement that he will not seek re-election in CD14: One with a definite interest in the race is Nick Lampson, a Beaumont Democrat who represented Texas’ 9th Congressional District … Continue reading →

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Will Perry call a special session to force the Lege to draw a Congressional map?

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. Gov. Rick Perry today said state lawmakers should be the ones to draw new congressional districts, not judges. “I do think that the responsibility is with the members of the Legislature,” Perry said this morning. “To allow the courts … Continue reading →

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They like him! They really like him!

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your heartwarming story for the week. The Republican Party of Fort Bend County Executive Committee has unanimously passed a resolution in support of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay expressing “appreciation for his tireless service to our community, the … Continue reading →

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Time for the biennial attack on the Travis County DA

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Every two years, some Republican legislators try to kill the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s office. An amendment tacked on to the House budget bill approved last week would shift roughly $3.4 million a year from … Continue reading →

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New judge in DeLay associates’ case

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the new judge, fourth in a series: The co-defendants of Tom DeLay, who was convicted last fall of conspiring to launder corporate money into political donations, will be tried before state District Judge David Crain, according to a court … Continue reading →

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More on Judge Priest recusing himself

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We now have a reason for Judge Pat Priest recusing himself in the upcoming trial of DeLay associates Jim Ellis and John Colyandro. Senior District Judge Pat Priest , who sentenced DeLay to three years in prison for laundering corporate … Continue reading →

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Judge Priest recuses himself in DeLay associates’ trial

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t see this coming. Two associates of former U.S House Majority leader Tom DeLay will get a new judge. State District Judge Pat Priest of San Antonio, who oversaw the month-long trial of DeLay last fall, surprisingly recused himself this … Continue reading →

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The opening bars of the redistricting overture

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Now that we have Census data, you know what comes next. Here’s an Express News story that discusses how redistricting will be different this time around. Democrats still are smarting from the redistricting plan engineered in 2003 by then-U.S. House … Continue reading →

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DeLay wants a do over

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s legal team on Wednesday filed a motion asking for a retrial for the former congressman, convicted last November on charges of money laundering and conspiracy. The motion, filed by … Continue reading →

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The Hammer goes to the slammer

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Judge Pat Priest sentenced Tom DeLay to three years in prison. The three-year sentence was on the charge of conspiring to launder corporate money into political donations during the 2002 elections. On the charge of money laundering, DeLay was … Continue reading →

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Rats of a feather

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

My schadenfreude-o-meter goes to 11. As convicted felon Tom DeLay prepares to find out Monday whether he will go to jail or get probation, his lawyer complained Friday that Travis County prosecutors offered immunity for testimony from two former DeLay … Continue reading →

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Trying Eversole

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron wonders if the freshly-indicted Jerry Eversole can beat the rap. That will depend on whether federal prosecutors can convince a jury that the gifts Surface gave Eversole and the actions the commissioner took that benefited Surface constitute conspiracy … Continue reading →

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DeLay sentencing delayed

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t know the fate of convicted felon Tom DeLay (I do so love saying that) until after the new year. The sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 20 but DeLay’s lawyers have a conflict on that date. “It’s probably going … Continue reading →

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Off to the appeals courts for DeLay

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever sentence awaits Tom DeLay – I strongly suspect it will be probation, but you never know – it will be a long time, if ever, before he begins serving it. DeLay’s lead attorney, Dick DeGuerin, expressed confidence on Friday … Continue reading →

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DeLay convicted

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Just in time for the holiday. Tom DeLay, the former U.S. House majority leader whose name became synonymous with the Republicans’ controversial rise to power in the Texas House, was found guilty today of laundering money in connection with the … Continue reading →

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Still no verdict in the DeLay trial

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two days of deliberation, lots of questions being asked, but still no decision from the DeLay jury. They’ll try again today, and I’ll be a little surprised if they strike out again. Having said that, a hung jury is certainly … Continue reading →

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DeLay jury deliberating

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No verdict yet, and the jury has been sent home for the night. Prosecutors and the defense made closing statements to the jury about whether a $190,000 corporate money swap between DeLay’s Texas committee and the Republican National Committee actually … Continue reading →

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DeLay trial: Defense rests, summaries to begin

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Thursday was a wrap, at least as far as evidence and testimony go in the Tom DeLay trial. This much both sides seemed to agree on: DeLay’s chief political aide, Jim Ellis, negotiated a deal with the Republican National Committee … Continue reading →

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DeLay trial: The prosecution rests

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The prosecution has rested its case in the money laundering trial of Tom DeLay. Visiting Judge Pat Priest today denied former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s motions for a directed verdict of innocent in the political money laundering trial against … Continue reading →

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How long is this thing gonna take?

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We may have the Tom DeLay trial to entertain us into December. [Monday] prosecutors announced that they might be done by next Tuesday. That would give the defense only a couple of days if they want to make final arguments … Continue reading →

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DeLay trial update

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The state keeps presenting its case. A former Republican National Committee official testified Thursday that he was told Tom DeLay wanted the RNC to swap corporate money for campaign donations to Texas candidates during the 2002 election campaign. Terry Nelson, … Continue reading →

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Opening arguments at the DeLay trial

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a little weird that the Tom DeLay trial could be something other than the top news story, isn’t it? The political money laundering trial of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay opened Monday with the Sugar Land Republican … Continue reading →

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