[Davis Democrats] Tell TX Speaker that Tom DeLay is Not Above the Law

[John Chendo]

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From: "David Donnelly, Public Campaign Action Fund" <info at pcactionfund.org>
Reply-To: notice-reply-7x6duerz57eebk at ga3.org
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:13:18 GMT
To: "john chendo" <jac07 at dcn.org>
Subject: Tell TX Speaker that Tom DeLay is Not Above the Law



No One is Above the Law

Dear john, 



If it were up to Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, you would never find out
if U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay broke the law. In fact, Craddick is
trying to scuttle the on-going investigation into allegedly illegal
corporate fundraising in Texas and cover up any wrong-doing.

We need you to act today to stop this cover-up. Sign our petition and send
it to five friends.

A bill filed by an ally of DeLay's and Craddick's will prevent Travis County
District Attorney Ronnie Earle from conducting a full investigation into
their role in the raising of hundreds of thousands of dollars from
corporations to influence the 2002 state elections. Earle has already
indicted three DeLay associates and eight corporations, and has gotten three
of the corporations to cooperate with the investigation. DeLay and Craddick
are getting nervous.

Earle's investigation, at its most basic, is an inquiry into how DeLay's
political power runs roughshod over the democratic process. In 2002, a
DeLay-created political action committee, TRMPAC, spent hundreds of
thousands of dollars raised from big lobbying interests to help elect state
legislators. Those same state legislators changed the congressional map
disenfranchising voters across Texas and gave DeLay a larger majority in
Congress. The problem is, DeLay and his allies used corporate money to do
it, allegedly in violation of Texas law.

And Earle is on their trail. That's exactly why DeLay, Craddick and their
allies want Earle's investigation swept under the rug. Republicans in
Congress already tried to give DeLay a "get-out-of-jail-free" card with the
so-called DeLay Rule, but we stopped them in their tracks. We need to do the
same again. 

Sign the petition today and send it along to your friends.

Thanks! 

David Donnelly
Public Campaign Action Fund





     

Sign this petition and notify:
Texas Speaker of the House

We urge you to oppose the "Politician Protection Act" (HB 915) and drop from
consideration any legislation or measure that would prevent the full
criminal investigation into potentially illegal corporate fundraising in
Texas.

As you are surely aware, the Travis County District Attorney's office is
investigating whether the electoral process was illegally influenced by
corporate contributions, and if so, whether public officials like yourself
and U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay were involved. Should you or the
State Legislature impede this investigation in any way, it would be a direct
conflict of interest, and would send a dangerous message to citizens across
Texas and the nation that politicians believe they are above the law.

We urge you to pledge to drop any and all efforts to stand in the way of
this investigation. No one is above the law. Sign this Petition!

Instructions:
Sign this petition <http://ga3.org/campaign/speakercraddick/7x6duerz57eebk>

Tell-A-Friend:
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-Friend! 
<http://ga3.org/campaign/speakercraddick/forward/7x6duerz57eebk>

What's At Stake:

U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay masterminded a plan to change
congressional district lines in Texas to add to his majority in Congress.
This brazen powerplay involved raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from
corporations in order to influence the outcome of state legislative races in
Texas -- an alleged violation of state campaign finance laws.

Already, Travis County DA Ronnie Earle's investigation has led to the
indictment of three DeLay associates and eight corporations for their roles
in laundering corporate funds into state races. Then, because it is
speculated that DeLay is a subject of the investigation, Republicans in
Congress tried to protect him with a secret vote in November, 2004. What
became known as the "DeLay Rule" would have allowed DeLay to maintain his
post even if he was indicted. It was defeated by citizen pressure in early
January. But we knew the DeLay Rule was the first, not the last, effort by
DeLay to get out from under Earle's investigation.

We were right. Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick's lieutenant State Rep. Mary
Denny -- herself a beneficiary of DeLay PAC money -- introduced the
Politician Protection Act in early February. If passed, it would stop
Earle's investigation. Denny's bill is the second try to get DeLay off the
hook. Again, it probably won't be the last.

The Earle investigation has national implications because it involves Tom
DeLay, hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate contributions, and
DeLay's brazen powerplay to gerrymander congressional districts in Texas to
suit his political purposes. No one should be above the law.

Campaign Expiration Date:
June 16, 2005 




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