Texas hearing on Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales indictment turns chaotic

[G_j]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27843395/

Texas hearing on Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales indictment turns chaotic

Criminal Prosecution
By Associated Press

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas — A county prosecutor who brought indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others pounded his fist and shouted at the judge Friday about special treatment for high-profile defendants as a routine motions hearing descended into chaos.

Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra, who is accusing the public officials of culpability in the alleged abuse of prisoners in a federal detention center, asked Presiding Judge Manuel Banales to recuse himself. Guerra has complained about Banales' handling of the case.

Attorneys for the vice president and other defendants leapt to their feet in objection, as Guerra pounded the table and accused Banales of giving the defendants special treatment in allowing motions to quash the indictments to be heard before the defendants were arraigned.

"Now all of a sudden there is urgency," Guerra shouted. "Eighteen months you kept me indicted through the election." The charges against Guerra were dropped last year. Guerra lost re-election in the March Democratic primary.

..more..

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. cheney and gonzales should be behind bars

[walldude]

2. I'm a little confused.. I heard earlier

that Guerra didn't show up.

[alarimer]

4. That was the day before.

South Texas Chisme (a blog) calls Guerra "DA Hissy Fit" for some reason. In any case he was defeated for re-election.

[walldude]

19. Thanks. Guess I lost a day somewhere..

[Xipe Totec]

3. Well, not a good statement from the prosecutor, I fear

Regardless of his point, which is true and accurate; allowing motions to quash the indictments to be heard before the defendants were arraigned is not normal.

Yet, stating: "Eighteen months you kept me indicted through the election." was a stupid thing to say; it shows that he is not free from personal bias in this matter.

Our boy fucked up here.

God damned shit!

[DemoTex]

5. "Pounded on the table with the handle of a broom .."

Boom-lay, boom-lay, boom-lay, boom!

For some reason, Vachal Lindsey's poem comes to me ..

[Xipe Totec]

6. He's a Valley Boy

My old stomping grounds.

I went to school down the road from Freddy Gonzales Ave.

That's why this pisses me soo much!

[WolverineDG]

15. Edinburg High?

:)

I used that street to get to Pan Am.

dg

[Xipe Totec]

16. That's the one!

Whent to PAU before it became UT-Pan American!

[WolverineDG]

17. Me too!

Go Bulldogs!!!! ;)

dg

[midnight]

7. Not at all he mearly showed the judge how absultely corrupted

he was.... I for one applaude him for calling this judge out on this.

[Xipe Totec]

9. He did, true,

but shows his own bias at the same time.

Not a brilliant move.

Even if a new judge is appointed, his own bias will require that he recuse himself also.

[rasputin5]

14. Oh NOW I understand what the local news lady was trying to say earlier

she was talking about some judge who needed to RESCUE himself. I couldn't figure out what it was all about!

[cobalt1999]

11. The prosecutor is a little nuts.

According to the legal experts that read his indictments, they are "long rambling narratives". The guy may need psych help.

[Xipe Totec]

12. Haven't read it, so I don't know

but he didn't help his case today, or ours.

Fuck! :nuke:

[cobalt1999]

13. It was a total pipe dream that anything would come out of this anyway.

Even with a sane prosecutor, now any future action will be branded as just another "crazy" person loose.

[clear eye]

18. Sounds like he was trying to show judicial bias against him, personally

If there were a new judge, the DA would not have any bias in the case as his bias only relates to the current judge. BUT, the inequity of the power of the two sides is so extreme, that there is really nothing right he can say.

The case does some good in that it makes bringing Cheney and Gonzales to court on the really bad stuff they've done easier to envision. Perhaps someone with much more clout, or even the next Congress, will be emboldened.

[aquart]

8. Texas? The place that can't put DeLay in jail?

Guerra is looking unstable. Which could be truthful, or simply how he's being positioned to look.

[lovuian]

10. It shows how ticked off people are getting

this is just the Beginning of more and more scum that shows up from Bush & Cheney