Tom Delay Convicted of Money Laundering

Sometimes the wheels of justice move slowly if at all. But in the case of Tom Delay the man is finally reaping the fruits of his arrogance and illegal activities. The irony is, of course, that Delay could go to prison for life, yet many in the GOP are likely doing precisely what he was doing - even Virginia Thomas, a Supreme Court justice's wife, who is receiving large money donations from unknown parties. In short, Delay is likely just the tip of the iceberg. We hear the GOP (and its Christian Right allies) whine about the rule of law and judicial tyranny, but they want to be fully exempt from the law themselves. The hypocrisy is unbelievable. Personally, I hope Delay gets slammed in his sentencing so that just perhaps others may think twice before doing engaging in the same shenanigans that he did. Oh, and WTF was Dancing with the Stars thinking when they had this felon on the show? Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:
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Former House majority leader Tom DeLay, the Texan architect of Republican power in Congress, was convicted Wednesday of illegally plotting to funnel corporate contributions to home-state legislative candidates in 2002.
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A jury in Austin found DeLay guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Punishment for the first ranges from five years to life in prison, but the former congressman from the Houston suburb of Sugar Land could receive probation.
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"This is an abuse of power," the former congressman said outside the courtroom. "It's a miscarriage of justice, and I still maintain that I am innocent. The criminalization of politics undermines our very system, and I am very disappointed in the outcome." The conviction follows years of investigation of DeLay, 63, who came to symbolize the intersection of money and politics in Washington. He made a mission of solidifying the Republican majority in Congress, and his ability to raise campaign cash was part of his power and eventual downfall.
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They said a political action committee that DeLay started in Texas solicited $190,000 from corporate interests and sent it to an arm of the Republican National Committee. They said that group then distributed the money to seven legislative candidates in an effort to skirt Texas law, which forbids corporate contributions to political campaigns.
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"There is nothing wrong with Republicans trying to dominate the political world," prosecutor Beverly Mathews told jurors when the trial opened. "But the means to achieve that gain must be lawful."