Conspiracy Charge A Possibility for Delay? from The Austin American Statesman...

U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's leadership post is on the
line today as a Travis County grand jury is expected to consider
indicting DeLay on conspiracy charges, several lawyers familiar with
the investigation said.

The charges would stem from DeLay's role in using corporate
money in the 2002 elections. State law generally bans corporate money
from campaign activities.

<SNIP>

An indictment would not force DeLay to resign as a member of
Congress, but the GOP's rules would demand that he resign his post as
majority leader.

Today's secret vote by the grand jury could mark the end of a
three-year investigation into whether DeLay and his Republican and
business allies illegally spent corporate money to help elect a
Republican majority to the Legislature in 2002. In turn, state
lawmakers drew congressional districts urged by DeLay that gave Texas
Republicans more clout in Washington. The lawmakers also elected
Craddick, a Republican from Midland and a DeLay ally, as their speaker.

DeLay had appeared to escape criminal scrutiny as early as
last year when Travis County prosecutors concluded that they did not
have the jurisdiction to pursue election code violations against him.
Under the law, only DeLay's local district attorney, a Republican, had
jurisdiction, and he expressed no interest in trying to topple the
second most powerful Texan in Washington.

But a conspiracy charge would fall under the criminal code,
not the election statute that bans corporate money from being spent on
a campaign.

That tactic is what defense lawyers fear -- and would give Travis County prosecutors jurisdiction over DeLay.

I'll be watching today, and ready to pop a bottle of champagne!

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