THE SCANDAL RIDDEN REPUBLICAN PARTY

Well, my young blogging sidekick Miles, off for his first year at the University in Austin, jumps back into the fold and beats me to the punch by reporting the amazing indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on a conspiracy charge. So to read an excerpt on that, check Miles' post below. However, you, like me, may be curious as to how DeLay was indicted, when it had already become pretty clear that Travis County DA Ronnie Earle didn't appear to have the jurisdictional right to go after him. What happened?

From the Austin American-Statesman courtesy of Eschaton:

DeLay indicted, gives up leadership post temporarily

DeLay had appeared to escape criminal scrutiny as early as last year when Travis County prosecutors concluded they did not have the jurisdiction to pursue election code violations against him. Under the law, only DeLay's local district attorney, a Republican, had jurisdiction, and he expressed no interest in the case.

But a conspiracy charge falls under the criminal code, not the election statute that bans corporate money from being spent on a campaign. And Earle has the jurisdiction to prosecute DeLay for conspiring with others to circumvent state law.

Click here for the rest.

So there you have it. Conspiracy can be prosecuted from Austin, and, praise the Creator, that's what they're doing. The article also points out that DeLay is possibly facing two years in prison. Ha! I've been waiting a long time for this.

But the overall story is not just about DeLay. This high profile indictment simply reinforces the fact that the Republicans are now being rocked by multiple scandals. Why, the Senate Majority Leader is now under investigation.

From Bloomberg courtesy, again, of Eschaton:

Frist Faces Heat as SEC Orders Formal Investigation

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist faces a near-term ordeal unwelcome to anyone, particularly an ambitious politician: an official probe into his personal financial dealings by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The SEC authorized a formal order of investigation of Frist's sale in June of HCA Inc. shares, people with direct knowledge of the inquiry said yesterday.

And

The Department of Justice is also investigating the matter. HCA said Sept. 23 that it received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, and Frist said he will cooperate with the prosecutor's office. HCA also said it "intends to cooperate fully.''

Click here for the rest.

Really, this is incredible. DeLay is under indictment, yes, but his counterpart in the Senate is under investigation by not one, but two Federal agencies. Ha! Adding fuel to this Republican scandal furnace is the arrest of a political appointee in Bush's White House last week.

From the Washington Post:

Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe

The Bush administration's top federal procurement official resigned Friday and was arrested yesterday, accused of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with the federal government. It was the first criminal complaint filed against a government official in the ongoing corruption probe related to Abramoff's activities in Washington.

The complaint, filed by the FBI, alleges that David H. Safavian, 38, a White House procurement official involved until last week in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, made repeated false statements to government officials and investigators about a golf trip with Abramoff to Scotland in 2002.

Click here for the rest.

It is very important to note that the lobbyist about whom Safavian is accused of lying to the FBI, Jack Abramoff, is linked to DeLay, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, and a whole host of other powerful Republicans. The GOP has, quite obviously, created a wicked web of corruption that would make the crooked Democrats of the past green with envy.

And let's not forget the cloud hanging over the White House concerning the outing of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame in a botched scheme of political retaliation against her husband, vocal Bush critic Joseph Wilson. Bush's brain, Karl Rove, and Cheney aid, Scooter Libby, are neck deep in that one, and there are probably more involved than we know about.

I've known for years how criminals are running the Republican Party, but my knowing doesn't really amount to much. Now the GOP looks as crooked as they are in reality, and the Democrats have the best opportunity they've had since Watergate to throw out the trash. Of course, opportunity and capitalizing on opportunity are two entirely different things. The Democrats have been handed a gift: alas, I only give them fifty-fifty odds to make something out of it. And I fear my odds-making is overly generous. They've got a good chance to take back both houses of Congress in '06, but do they have the balls to do what it will take?

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