Earle probes DeLay tie to California donor (and convicted Cunningham)

[papau]

D.A Ronnie Earle is reaching his case out to California in an effort to draw a connection between DeLay and Rep. Randy Cunningham!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/3523469.html
Dec. 14, 2005, 1:44AM

Earle probes DeLay tie to California donor
Congressman's lawyer dismisses subpoena that may broaden the investigation

By MICHAEL HEDGES
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - The Texas prosecutor who obtained an indictment against Rep. Tom DeLay is now looking at connections between the former House majority leader and a defense contractor linked to the bribery of a California lawmaker.

But the lawyer for DeLay criticized the potential expansion of the criminal investigation involving the Sugar Land Republican as a fishing expedition with a political motive.

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, subpoenaed on Monday records of California businessman Brent Wilkes and three Wilkes-controlled companies that made a political contribution to a Texas fundraising committee set up by DeLay.

Late Tuesday, Earle also subpoenaed records from a civil lawsuit involving DeLay from a decade ago in which an ex-business partner accused him of lying.

Wilkes was described in a federal indictment as one of four defense contractors who bribed Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who pleaded guilty and resigned in late November.
The subpoenas focused on a $15,000 contribution by a Wilkes subsidiary, Perfect Wave Technologies, to DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority.<snip>

Earle's subpoenas also sought records from Max Gelwix, founder of Perfect Wave, now a unit of Wilkes Corp.

Another subpoena issued by Earle on Tuesday sought records from a lawyer for Robert Blankenship.

Blankenship sued DeLay and another man who he claimed improperly cut him out of a Houston-area pest-control business owned by DeLay and the other man.

The case was settled in 1995. But Blankenship's lawyer claimed DeLay had lied in depositions when the case was headed to trial. A DeLay spokesman at the time dismissed that charge as a politically motivated attack.

Earle subpoenaed the sworn statements of DeLay and others in that case.

His spokesman declined to comment on the reason for the subpoena.

[papau]

1. NYT version: Prosecutors in DeLay Case Look Into Ties With Lobbyist

prosecutors in the DeLay case have subpoenaed documents from Brent Wilkes, a lobbyist linked to the bribery charges against Cunningham. Under scrutiny is a $15,000 contribution Wilkes' company made to DeLay's PAC, Texans for a Republican Majority.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/14/politics/14delay.html

Prosecutors in DeLay Case Look Into Ties With Lobbyist
By PHILIP SHENON and DAVID S. CLOUD
Published: December 14, 2005

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 - Texas prosecutors in the criminal case against Representative Tom DeLay revealed in subpoenas made public Tuesday that they were investigating ties between Mr. DeLay and a lobbyist who is at the center of a bribery scandal that prompted another House Republican to resign from Congress last month.

The subpoenas sought documents from the lobbyist, Brent Wilkes, a California businessman whose lawyers have confirmed that he is one of four unnamed co-conspirators listed in the criminal charges against former Representative Randy Cunningham, the California Republican who pleaded guilty to taking at least $2.4 million in bribes.

Mr. Wilkes was close to several Republican members of Congress, including Mr. Cunningham and Mr. DeLay, Republican of Texas, who traveled as Mr. Wilkes's guest in a private jet he partly owned. There is no accusation in the subpoenas of any other tie between Mr. DeLay and Mr. Cunningham, who is facing a long prison sentence.

In the subpoenas, which were issued Monday, the Texas prosecutors sought banking and administrative records from Mr. Wilkes and several of his companies about a $15,000 contribution made by the company to a Texas-based political action committee affiliated with Mr. DeLay.
<snip>

[papau]

2. (Congressional) DeLay probe put in limbo

Has ethics fellow Rep. Doc Hastings (R.-WA) changed his mind about launching an immediate investigation into DeLay's activities?

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/121405/news1.html

DeLay probe put in limbo

By Alexander Bolton

The House ethics committee may not launch an immediate investigation into the activities of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) once it becomes fully operational after New Year’s, according to its chairman Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.).In April, Hastings pledged to launch an immediate probe of DeLay if Democrats agreed to cooperate with him and allow him to organize the Standards of Official Conduct Committee, as it is officially known.The panel had been put in limbo by a partisan dispute over rules changes.Hastings said in a recent interview with The Hill that his offer to investigate DeLay earlier this year was “extraordinary.” He said the committee would now operate on regular order. When asked whether his offer was outside regular order, he responded, “Yeah. That was extraordinary. Let’s put it that way.”Hastings’s original offer was that he and at least three Republican colleagues on the committee would vote at the earliest opportunity to empanel an investigative subcommittee headed by Rep. Melissa Hart (R-Pa.) to “review allegations concerning travel and other actions by Mr. DeLay.”Now, however, his position is that, “We’re going to start all over.”“We are now set up at least at the top and there’s going to be regular order,” he added, referring to the recent hire of William O’Reilly, a partner at the Jones Day law firm in Washington, D.C., to serve in the position of chief counsel/staff director.Hastings said that the procedures of regular order are described in committee rules. But the rules are not clear on the timing of a probe, and Hastings declined to discuss it in further detail.The most relevant rule, Rule 18(a) on committee initiated inquiry, states that the committee may consider information indicating that a member may have committed a violation of the Code of Official Conduct or any other applicable standard of conduct and that the chairman and ranking member may jointly gather additional information until an investigative subcommittee has been established.<snip>

[MrBenchley]

3. The Blankenship suit stuff is going to be interesting

"Apparently hoping to avoid liability, DeLay denied in a deposition that he was an officer of the business. But in his congressional financial disclosure documents – including one filed just three months after his deposition – DeLay listed himself as president or chairman of the board of Albo from 1985 through 1994. Like the testimony under oath, DeLay’s disclosure forms were no mere bureaucratic formality – any falsehood is subject to criminal or civil sanctions, up to a $10,000 fine and/or five years in prison."

http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=964