San Francisco (Obama.net)- He was once the House Majority Leader for the Republicans, but now he is best known as a convicted felon. This week, Tom DeLay was found guilty on charges stemming from 2002.
DeLay was the man who assisted Newt Gingrich in 1994 to attain control of Congress halfway through the first Presidential term of Bill Clinton. DeLay would also go on to serve as the congressional whip for the Republican Party. However, his tactics often came under question of the leaders of the House of Representatives. In 2005, DeLay was indicted on the charges based on 2002 events. As a result, he left his post as House Majority Leader and left Congress all together.
DeLay was accused of illegally taking private funds and using it to help get fellow Republicans in Texas elected to government. DeLay’s main aim was to get members of his party elected into both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. The former House Majority Leader allegedly took approximately $190,000.
DeLay was very confident that he would be able to prove his innocence at the start of the case.
After the guilty verdict was read to him and the rest of the court, DeLay still claimed that he did no wrong. DeLay said, “This is an abuse of power. It’s a miscarriage of justice. I still maintain that I am innocent, that the criminalization of politics undermines our very system and I’m very disappointed in the outcome. But you know, it is what it is, and we will carry on and maybe we can get it before people who understand the law.”
Rosemary Lehmberg, the Travis County District Attorney, said “This case is a message from the citizens of the state of Texas that the public officials they elect to represent them must do so honestly and ethically, and if not, they’ll be held accountable.”
And DeLay is certainly facing a high punishment for what he is said to have done. With his sentencing to be held on December 20th, DeLay is facing a potential 119 years in prison.
While the story of Tom DeLay is definitely not a positive for Americans who are tired of hearing stories of corrupt politicians who are misusing government money for private and personal gains, the story is ending with the positive note that Americans can now expect that politicians who do commit fraud will in fact be taken care of.
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