On a Crowded Rap Sheet of Politicians, DeLay Stands Apart

By ROSS RAMSEY
NYT

Ross Ramsey, managing editor of The Texas Tribune, writes a regular column.

Tom DeLay broke the law in order to grab power. That’s unusual — most politicians steal money.

Mr. DeLay, the former United States House majority leader, and two others, were accused of illegally laundering corporate donations to his Texans for a Republican Majority PAC through the Republican National Committee, which in turn sent a like amount of noncorporate cash to seven Texas candidates chosen by the PAC. Republicans went on to win a majority in the Texas House in those 2002 elections, and the criminal investigations of how they did it began a few months later.

Mr. DeLay’s trial — the first in the case — started eight years after that and more than four years after Mr. DeLay left office. The jury found him guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. What makes the case peculiar is that Mr. DeLay wasn’t accused of trying to get rich. Contrast his case with other active rap sheets in Texas politics right now.

State Representative Ismael “Kino” Flores, Democrat of Palmview, has been convicted on charges of perjury and tampering with government records — he didn’t properly report his income and assets on financial disclosure forms. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 13. Mr. Flores didn’t seek re-election, and his term ends in January.

(More here.)

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