Gov. Rick Perry of Texas Is Indicted on Charge of Abuse of Power

[RickN]

Was Jefferson the one that kept bribe money in his freezer?

Yep, Cold Cash Jefferson.

As far as corruption goes, we have Pelosi and her lite rail getting millions to Dem political donors and her husband, Reid and his taking "donations" to help get solar projects approved, Biden's brother being hired by a company that never built housing until after hiring him and suddenly getting billions in contracts to build housing in Iraq, etc, etc, etc.

 

[dennishoddy]

Its a ********. Liberal ********.

 

[Billybob]

For those of you that can think for themselves, this is called Lawfare. It is the Dems way of trying to damage a candidate. They did it with Tom Delay, Sarah Palin, Scott Walker, Chris Christie just to name a few. Most of whom have been cleared. Perry will be too.

As far as Dems not resigning, just a couple easy ones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Jefferson_corruption_case

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blagojevich_corruption_charges

So if investigations, grand jury indictments, and convictions are nothing more than political lawfare then logic dictates it could work both ways, what does that say about our legal system?

Tom Delay was convicted, the conviction was overturned by two Republican judges with a Dem dissenting(was that political?) and now has been accepted for appeal before the State Court of Criminal Appeals(or is this political?), the point being if we're going to say a legal decision by prosecutors or a court can be politically motivated then logic dictates it can be so in either direction depending on the politics of the prosecutors or judges, again what does that say about our system?

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Top-court-agrees-to-review-overturned-Tom-DeLay-5331253.php

Last I saw Chris Christie and Walker are still under investigation.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2014/06...-scott-walker-facing-criminal-investigations/

Again my point would be that unless we add up every wrong act by those of either party we can't say for sure which is worse. And since we know there is wrong on both sides if legal issues are pursued or ignored/dismissed because of politics we have big problems and if there's no assurance of justice in these cases how can we assume there's justice in others?

 

[Billybob]

Yep, Cold Cash Jefferson.

As far as corruption goes, we have Pelosi and her lite rail getting millions to Dem political donors and her husband, Reid and his taking "donations" to help get solar projects approved, Biden's brother being hired by a company that never built housing until after hiring him and suddenly getting billions in contracts to build housing in Iraq, etc, etc, etc.

There's no doubt and I've never said there's not corruption on both sides, it should all be dealt with political types should be punished for their crimes just like ordinary citizens but as we've often seen it doesn't always work that way does it, just like when people with money commit crimes as opposed to poor people, it makes a mockery of justice.

 

[dennishoddy]

There's no doubt and I've never said there's not corruption on both sides, it should all be dealt with political types should be punished for their crimes just like ordinary citizens but as we've often seen it doesn't always work that way does it, just like when people with money commit crimes as opposed to poor people, it makes a mockery of justice.

Are your serious? I can post thousands of links of rich people that are found guilty of crimes, and in jail for the crimes committed.

Just one example: Martha Stewart?

If you need more, google is your friend.

 

[Shadowrider]

Travis County went after Delay, indicted him, convicted him, and it was thrown out immediately upon appeal.

Travis County went after Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and indicted her not once, not twice, but THREE friggen times! The first two were thrown out, the third went to jury trial, but the prosecutor didn't present any evidence, so the jury acquitted her so they couldn't keep trying.

See a pattern here? Travis County is a political theatre of war, they are probably where Chicago learned it from. Nothing new at all. Perry will walk as well he should.

 

[Billybob]

Are your serious? I can post thousands of links of rich people that are found guilty of crimes, and in jail for the crimes committed.

Just one example: Martha Stewart?

If you need more, google is your friend.

Martha Stewart did 5 months, far below what the base guidelines would have called for even without possible enhancements which the judge didn't use according to this legal expert who wrote several articles on her case.

"Stewart was convicted of obstructing justice and lying to authorities. Accordingly, the obstruction of justice sentencing guidelines will apply. In light of recent amendments to the Guidelines, Stewart's initial sentencing range will be 15 to 21 months. But that is far from the end of the matter...

Stewart was also convicted of a conspiracy to obstruct justice that included her broker, Peter Bacanovic, who also was convicted. Accordingly, Stewart may be eligible for a sentencing enhancement for being "an organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor" in the criminal activity. If so, that enhancement would increase Stewart's sentencing range to 30 to 37 months...

Finally, suppose the government uses the evidence supporting the dismissed securities fraud claim to show "abuse of [Stewart's] position of trust" as a member of the board of directors for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. If so, this enhancement would increase Stewart's sentencing range to 37 to 46 months...

Stewart's only hope now for a less severe sentence would be to obtain a downward departure -- that is, to hope the judge will choose to go below the applicable sentencing range. But that hope, again, is slim.

One of the avenues that I explored in my June 2003 column was to argue for a departure based on the fact that Stewart's conduct was aberrant behavior in an otherwise straight-arrow life. But as even Robert G. Morvillo, Stewart's attorney, recognized in a New York Law Journal article published last month, "[a]berrant behavior, already a difficult ground for departure for defendants to obtain[, is] now even more so under the Feeney Amendment." As I have written in another prior column, the Feeney Amendment greatly restricts federal judges in departing from the Guidelines...

Perhaps the Most Likely Sentence For Stewart to Actually Serve: 32 Months

In the end, the chances of any downward departure for Stewart at this point are exceedingly slim, no matter how creative the argument. Nevertheless, creative arguments by her counsel may help -- at least to ensure that Stewart is sentenced at, or near, the bottom of the sentencing range.

And if the range is indeed 37 to 46 months, that could make a significant difference. With a 37-month sentence, and time off for good behavior, Stewart could be out in as little as 32 months..."

Mark H. Allenbaugh, an attorney in private practice, is a nationally recognized expert on federal sentencing, law, policy and practice. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Committee for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is a member of the ABA's Sentencing and Corrections Committee and the United States Sentencing Commission's Practitioners Advisory Group.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/allenbaugh/20040310.html

As to another example how about the rich kid in Texas that only got probation for killing several people while driving drunk and high on valium recently, think the average person would have gotten the same?

 

[dennishoddy]

Martha Stewart did 5 months, far below what the base guidelines would have called for even without possible enhancements which the judge didn't use according to this legal expert who wrote several articles on her case.

"Stewart was convicted of obstructing justice and lying to authorities. Accordingly, the obstruction of justice sentencing guidelines will apply. In light of recent amendments to the Guidelines, Stewart's initial sentencing range will be 15 to 21 months. But that is far from the end of the matter...

Stewart was also convicted of a conspiracy to obstruct justice that included her broker, Peter Bacanovic, who also was convicted. Accordingly, Stewart may be eligible for a sentencing enhancement for being "an organizer, leader, manager, or supervisor" in the criminal activity. If so, that enhancement would increase Stewart's sentencing range to 30 to 37 months...

Finally, suppose the government uses the evidence supporting the dismissed securities fraud claim to show "abuse of [Stewart's] position of trust" as a member of the board of directors for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. If so, this enhancement would increase Stewart's sentencing range to 37 to 46 months...

Stewart's only hope now for a less severe sentence would be to obtain a downward departure -- that is, to hope the judge will choose to go below the applicable sentencing range. But that hope, again, is slim.

One of the avenues that I explored in my June 2003 column was to argue for a departure based on the fact that Stewart's conduct was aberrant behavior in an otherwise straight-arrow life. But as even Robert G. Morvillo, Stewart's attorney, recognized in a New York Law Journal article published last month, "[a]berrant behavior, already a difficult ground for departure for defendants to obtain[, is] now even more so under the Feeney Amendment." As I have written in another prior column, the Feeney Amendment greatly restricts federal judges in departing from the Guidelines...

Perhaps the Most Likely Sentence For Stewart to Actually Serve: 32 Months

In the end, the chances of any downward departure for Stewart at this point are exceedingly slim, no matter how creative the argument. Nevertheless, creative arguments by her counsel may help -- at least to ensure that Stewart is sentenced at, or near, the bottom of the sentencing range.

And if the range is indeed 37 to 46 months, that could make a significant difference. With a 37-month sentence, and time off for good behavior, Stewart could be out in as little as 32 months..."

Mark H. Allenbaugh, an attorney in private practice, is a nationally recognized expert on federal sentencing, law, policy and practice. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Committee for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is a member of the ABA's Sentencing and Corrections Committee and the United States Sentencing Commission's Practitioners Advisory Group.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/allenbaugh/20040310.html

As to another example how about the rich kid in Texas that only got probation for killing several people while driving drunk and high on valium recently, think the average person would have gotten the same?

LOL, governors in Ok have gone to jail, tons of others...keep looking.

 

[Billybob]

LOL, governors in Ok have gone to jail, tons of others...keep looking.

Just because some of privilege go to jail doesn't mean we have a fair and equitable system of justice, many examples prove we don't.

 

[Coded-Dude]

Aldon Smith got three felony gun charges and a dui reduced to misdemeanors and served 12 days in jail....

Transmitted via Tactical Telecommunications Device