DeLay faces a new indictment charging money laundering

From the AP via the Houston Chronicle:

A Texas grand jury today re-indicted Rep. Tom DeLay on charges of conspiring to launder money and money laundering after the former majority leader attacked last week's indictment on technical grounds.

The new indictment, handed up by a grand jury seated today, contains two counts: conspiring to launder money and money laundering. The latter charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Last week, DeLay was charged with conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws.

Defense lawyers asked a judge today to throw out the first indictment, arguing that the charge of conspiring to violate campaign finance laws was based on a statute that didn't take effect until 2003 — a year after the alleged acts.

The new indictment from District Attorney Ronnie Earle, coming just hours after the new grand jurors were sworn in, outraged DeLay.

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So, if I understand this correctly, DeLay's defense dream team went after last week's indictment by asserting that the law he allegedly violated is not retroactive, but the Travis County DA's response was to charge DeLay with two additional crimes, one of them penalized by as much as life in prison. It is deliciously ironic that a politician who has repeatedly used gangster style tactics in order to expand his power is now accused of committing a crime that real gangsters commit all the time, money laundering. I'm really enjoying this.

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