Ken Lay files for quick start to trial

[UpInArms]

http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/09/news/newsmakers/enron_lay.reut/

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Former Enron Corp. Chairman Ken Lay filed court papers Monday seeking to start his trial next month on fraud and conspiracy charges related to the downfall of the energy company.

"Ken Lay is innocent and he wants a trial, and he's entitled to a speedy trial," Michael Ramsey, Lay's lawyer, told reporters.

In the motions filed to U.S. District Court Judge Sim Lake, Lay sought to sever his case from the indictment handed down last month that added him to the cases against former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling and former Chief Accounting Officer Richard Causey.


Lay asked the court for a Sept. 14 trial date, and waived his right to a jury, offering instead to put the case directly to Judge Lake.

...a bit more...

[lastknowngood]

1. Wants to get convicted before the shrub is out of power so he

can get his presidental pardon.

[Zorra]

6. Bingo. n/t

[Barret]

12. You can get a pardon

prior to conviction. See Nixon.

[tlcandie]

2. Hahaha!!!!

How noble of him! Reminds me of * and not worrying about speaking to non-registered and/or non-rethuglican crowds...they both are so full of themselves and have their FUTURE positions all lined up by power and money mongers, so they've no need to worry only put on a "REALLY GOOD SHOW"!!

OMG.. I've seen everything now!!! :crazy:

[Kahuna]

3. LOL! Duh..

:crazy:

[Caution]

4. This is so he can get pardoned iwhen Bush is voted out

no other reason to do something like this in a case like his where he is looking at decades in prison.

[Hawkeye-X]

8. Well, here's to hoping...

That Congress passes a law that overrides any presidential pardon when he is a defeated in any elections. Chimp has zero authority to pardon anyone and will be indicted himself for treason against the interests of the U.S.

Hawkeye-X

[Barret]

17. Unfortunately

that would require an amendment, not a law.

I also suspect he will pardon him self.

[Tight_rope]

5. I smell a pardon!

[NC_Nurse]

7. I think he wants to take a chance on a judge

rather than face a jury who might not be so sympathetic to his position.

and of course, there's the prospect of a pardon.

:eyes:

[Auntie Bush]

11. Lay can easily bribe one conservative judge...but hard

to bribe a whole jury. He hopes to get off free and clear and then the Democrats can't criticize Bush for being guilty by association.

I will never believe that Kenny and Georgie didn't discuss and laugh together at one of their Pajama parties about how they were ripping off California and destroying Gray Davis. Bush and Lay were
"Best Buddies." They were in on the plot together. Bush knew!
Bush belongs in a cell right next to Lay.

[seafan]

9. So, would Lay have to be convicted before a presidential pardon

could be granted? Or can lame-duck * pre-emptively pardon *before* Lay is found guilty?

So much corruption, so little time, huh, *?

[Barret]

13. No

A pardon can be issued with out a conviction, and in fact even before charges are filed.

For example, those who fled to canada during the vietnam draft were pardoned. And thus no charges could be brought against them - making it safe to return.

[seafan]

15. Thanks, Barret and gratuitous. I'm working up some pre-emptive outrage.

Got to agitate my senators a bit more about this.

[gratuitous]

14. Nope, Poppy pardoned Cap Weinberger

In the dead of the night on Christmas Eve 1992, Wimp Father of Chimp pardoned Cap Weinberger, Eliot Abrams and a few others just before their trial was scheduled to start in January 1993. Bush was, of course, a lame duck, having gotten his clock cleaned by Bill Clinton the month before. And the trial was going to put the lie to Poppy's infamous comment that he was "out of the loop" on Iran/contra.

Talk about corruption and self-serving.

[KoKo]

10. He did an incredible Press Conference on CNBC last month. A Love Fest

for financial reporters where the CNBC Whores said he was coming out first on the "attack" and it was incredible how well prepared he and his lawyers were. They said it was "unprecedented" for a indicted person to come out and give a Press conference protesting that he was innocent. His lawyer came on and said the Government's case was so weak they had nothing on Lay. He said that it was "partisan politics" that drove the investigation.

Amazing! When I heard his lawyer say that I wondered if the idiot thought it was still the Clinton Administration and not Bush's Justice Department going after Lay.

CNBC made it sound like Lay was a free man and that it was all Jeff Skillings fault. So did Lay's lawyer. It was such a "huge company" how was the CEO supposed to know what the underlings were up to? Poor Ken Lay, he gave so much money to Houston's Symphony and Charity Causes and was so busy doing this...how could he possibly know that "evil Jeff Skilling" was setting up all those companies with odd sounding names!

He's a real piece of work...Ken Lay. Just like the rest of the BFEE.

:puke:

[TXDemGal]

16. I see a Christmas Eve pardon on the horizon.

Like father, like Dim Son.

[Dem2theMax]

18. I see a pardon

and maybe some good timing for *? Just another way to keep the press from paying attention to * and company.

[Bo]

19. here come the planes,,aaahhhaaa

da rarararararara...... laurie anderson 77