files/2009/04/gavel-300x225.jpg
Mon Apr 27 15:54:40 2009 CST
By Matt Pulle
State Rep. Wayne Christian has proposed legislation aimed at weakening the Travis County district attorney's office, which became the pariah of Republicans everywhere after it indicted GOP stalwart Tom DeLay on charges of money laundering and violating election law.But this may not simply be partisan payback.
Indeed, the Center Republican has ties to DeLay and his co-defendant and one-time associate John Colyandro. In addition, former District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who hastened the end of DeLay's political career and indicted Colyandro, also named Christian in an indictment of the Texas Association of Business for violating campaign finance laws. Naturally, some of DeLay's critics are now wary over Christian's true motives: Does he want good government? Or does he want to get back at the lawyer who publicly embarrassed his friend?
"Tom DeLay built his career on changing the rules to his advantage," says Nate Wilcox, a political consultant who ran online communications for Richard Morrison, a challenger to DeLay in 2004. "Even after his political death his zombie minions continue to attack the idea that public officials can be held accountable for their actions."
Christian's signature piece of legislation, HB 566, would require that state elected officials and officers only be charged for official misconduct in their county of residence. The intent of that is clear: The Travis County DA's office would no longer be able prosecute the vast majority of lawmakers on public corruption charges. That would now be the task of local prosecutors, who often don't have the resources, if not the moxie, to indict their local representative.
But while Christian's bill has galvanized DeLay's many detractors, leading Republicans argue that the left-leaning voters of Travis County wind up influencing law and politics across the entire state. They're the ones who elect a DA whose power reaches all over Texas.
"I have no problem with this bill," says Eric Opiela, the executive director of the Texas Republican party. "People always used to joke that the highest Democratic elected official in the state was Ronnie Earle."
Continues ...
Read more on the interwoven dealings of Christian, DeLay and Colyandro. On page 2.
Read about a similar measure proposed by Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville. On page 3.
Photo of a judge's gavel by flickr user KeithBurtis, used via a Creative Commons license.
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Aren Cambre
Monday, 04/27/2009 - 17:26
Oh, come on. It was always silly that one county's DA was in charge of prosecuting statewide officials. This makes sense regardless of partisian issues.
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kevin whited
Tuesday, 04/28/2009 - 10:21
** leading Republicans argue that the left-leaning voters of Travis County wind up influencing law and politics across the entire state. They’re the ones who elect a DA whose power reaches all over Texas. **
I think that\'s a fair argument. However, the first solution goes off the rails. I don\'t see moving jurisdiction on these sorts of cases from Travis County (the capital of government misdeeds in Texas, since it houses the actual capital) to local jurisdictions.
I\'ve long thought that if you were going to change jurisdiction for these sorts of cases, that it probably ought to be under the state attorney general. I wouldn\'t mind seeing a dedicated office created under the state attorney general, and some controls on political appointees (i.e. a certain degree of civil service type staffing). I don\'t know the full details of Rep. Miller\'s bill so I can\'t speak to it in detail, but it sounds like his proposal at least places the power where I would like it (but I think you also need to try to build in some safeguards against abuse of that power and I have no idea if his bill does that).
I like putting the power in a state office because I think a statewide office has more potential watchdogs to keep it honest -- statewide newspapers, think tanks, Texas Watchdog, bloggers, etc. But in this hyperpartisan political era of ours, it still wouldn\'t necessarily eliminate charges of politically motivated prosecutions (or decisions not to prosecute).
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Lee Ann O'Neal
Tuesday, 04/28/2009 - 11:25
Hi, Aren, thank you for reading our site, and taking time to comment.
Take care,
Lee Ann
leeann@texaswatchdog.org
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Lee Ann O'Neal
Tuesday, 04/28/2009 - 11:27
Dear kevin whited, thank you for reading our site and for joining in the discussion.
Take care,
Lee Ann
leeann@texaswatchdog.org
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kevin whited
Tuesday, 04/28/2009 - 20:38
Dear Lee Ann O'Neal, You're welcome. You take care too! :D
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