Follow the money. That’s the advice given to anyone who wants to find the root of a scandal. And we do have a scandal brewing with the recent indictments of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Republican from Sugar Land, Texans. No, the scandal is not with DeLay, but rather with Ronnie Earle, the Travis County District Attorney who is prosecuting Earle.

The money in question comes from Texans for Public Justice. They claim to be a “non-partisan, non-profit policy and research organization which tracks the influence of money and corporate power in Texas politics. Texans for Public Justice is a vocal advocate for citizen rights, open government and corporate accountability in Texas.”  In fact, they are viciously partisan, take money that has been laundered through left-wing groups (exactly what they have accused Tom DeLay of doing) and use it to attack conservatives in Texas and around the country. They want others to be open with their finances but are very secretive concerning their own finances.

A Timeline

• 2000 — the Texas Legislature began the mandated redistricting process that takes place every 10 years after the census.
• 2002 — Democrats hold the slimmest majority in the Texas Legislature since Reconstruction days. The Democrats derail redistricting efforts in order to hang on to key Democrat US congressional seats, especially those of leaders such as Martin Frost. DeLay and others form Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Group (TRMPAC).
• In the November 2002 elections, Republicans win a majority in the Texas Legislature.
• March 31st 2003 — Texans for Public Justice formally requests Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle to investigate TRMPAC and Tom DeLay. Earle immediately begins his investigation. Earle allows filmmakers Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck to make a documentary of the case against Tom DeLay.
• Summer 2003 — the Republican-led Texas Legislature re-initiates the redistricting process as required by law.
• November 2004 — for the first time in history, Republicans win a majority of seats in the Texas congressional delegation. Democrats are furious. Ronnie Earle begins presenting evidence to a grand jury.
• May 12, 2005 — Ronnie Earle speaks at a Democrat fundraiser, personally attacks DeLay in a prepared speech, and calls for Democrats to take back the state legislature
• September 9, 2005 — Ronnie Earle tells an Austin American Statesman reporter that he lacks jurisdiction and that DeLay is not a target of the investigation.
• September 11, 2005 — An Austin American Statesman editorial takes Ronnie Earle to task for wrapping up the investigation without indictment. The Austin American Statesman is a very liberal newspaper whose editorials often parrot Democrat talking points.
• In early September, 2005, Ronnie Earle commented that prosecution was unlikely. On September 28 2005, however, Ronnie Earle caves to pressure from Democrats and indicts Tom DeLay on conspiracy charges.
• October 3, 2005 — When serious questions arose as to whether Texas’s conspiracy statute was applicable in the recent indictment, Ronnie Earle issues a new indictment. He also reveals for the first time that he had presented the case to 3 grand juries and that one refused to indict DeLay.

First, we will discuss how Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) related to Ronnie Earle. Ronnie Earle began his investigation of Tom DeLay after he was requested to do so in the following letter from TPJ. 

The Supposed Crime

Tom DeLay and others have been charged with laundering corporate donations given to TRMPAC by bundling donated monies, passing it on to the Republican party, who in turn distribute it to individual candidates. There was no crime. Under Texas law, corporations are allowed to give money to PACs, the PACs can give to a political party, and political parties can give to candidates. Stephen Spruiell of National Review Online explains it very well:

The indictment centers around a money swap that took place between the Texans for a Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC), to which DeLay has ties, and the Republican National State Elections Committee (RNSEC). TRMPAC sent $190,000 to RNSEC, and RNSEC then sent the same total amount in seven checks ranging from $20,000 to $40,000 to Texas House candidates in 2002. Travis County DA Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, calls this money laundering, because the money that TRMPAC sent to RNSEC came from corporations, which are barred from contributing to campaigns in Texas.

What you won’t hear in the press is that A) This is a perfectly legal move, and B) the Democrats did the exact same thing. An Institute on Money in State Politics study reveals that on Oct. 31, 2002, the Texas Democratic Party did the same thing when it sent $75,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and received $75,000 back from the DNC the very same day.

Here’s what I wrote about this case last summer:

Just to put this $190,000 deal into perspective and demonstrate the petty, vindictive nature of this partisan investigation, the study also reveals that Democrats transferred a total of approximately $11 million dollars in soft money from its national parties to fund Texas campaigns in 2002, compared to $5.2 million transferred by Republicans.

In essence, TRMPAC did the same thing that many other PACs in Texas did, and all the transactions were perfectly legal. Ronnie Earle needs to answer why he chose to after Ronnie Earle when Democrats were doing the same thing — except with larger amounts of money.

It’s all about the Democrats losing elections

Texans for Public Justice is very open about why they asked Ronnie Earle to go after Tom DeLay — they’re angry that Republicans gained control of the Texas Legislature in 2002 and even angrier that Republicans gained a majority of Texas US Congress seats in 2004. From their website:

On March 31, 2003, Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) filed a formal complaint with the Travis County District Attorney requesting an investigation into what appeared to be unlawful uses of corporate funds by Congressman Tom DeLay’s Texans for Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC) to influence Texas’ 2002 legislative elections. Today a Travis County Grand Jury charged DeLay with criminally conspiring with TRMPAC.

“No jury can undo the outcome of Texas’ 2002 elections,” said Texans for Public Justice Director Craig McDonald, “but the justice system must punish those who criminally conspire to undermine democracy—no matter how powerful they may be. If we are to be a ‘democracy,’ then powerful politicians cannot flout such laws with impunity.”

“We applaud the District Attorney’s office for unraveling what appears to be a complex conspiracy to hijack Texas elections. These criminal prosecutions send the message that nobody is above Texas law.”

Texans for Public Justice:  How do they get their money?

The TPJ website states that “Our ongoing research and advocacy for greater corporate and government accountability is dependent on financial donations from foundations and individuals - we neither seek nor accept government or corporate support.” To their credit, they list the foundations who give them money. Let’s take a look at each one who has given money to TPJ and where there political sympathies lie. If TPJ is non-partisan, we should expect to see a roughly even amount of conservative groups and liberals giving them contributions. 

• The Alliance For Better Campaigns, Washington, DC — their goal is to required free airtime for candidates. They claim to promote freedom of speech but, oddly enough, launched a national boycott campaign to keep stations from airing Stolen Honor, the documentary that covered John Kerry’s Vietnam service and his anti-war efforts.
• The Arca Foundation, Washington, DC — donor to organizations like “People for the American Way” “Earth Day Network,”
• The Deer Creek Foundation, St. Louis, MO — donor to organizations like “Earth First!” and PETA
• The Magnolia Charitable Trust, Houston, TX — opposed applying campaign finance laws to 527 organizations like MoveOn.org
• The National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL), Washington, DC — funded by leftist multibillionaireGeorge Soros
• The Ottinger Foundation, New York, NY — funds peace activism and promotes social change
• The Proteus Fund, Amherst, MA — liberal organization that “works … to build progressive power in the states.”
• The U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Washington, DC — funds partisan environmental activist groups
• The Margaret Cullinan Wray Charitable Trust, Houston, TX — supports activist groups like The Sierra Club and provided funding for the laughable “The Dubya Report”
• The Solidago Foundation, Northampton, MA — supports “progressive” causes
• The Stern Family Fund, Washington, DC — supports campaign finance reform
• The Rockefeller Familly Fund, New York, NY — supports leftist causes
• The Open Society Institute, New York, NY — run by leftist multibillionaire George Soros
• The Tides Foundation, San Francisco, CA — famous funder of leftwing causes such as Earth First!

All of these organizations tend to the liberal end of the spectrum and many donate to radical, violent causes such as Earth First! A couple of these are entirely funded almost entirely by leftist multibillionaire George Soros. Note that some of these organizations are self-funded while others seek donations from government, businesses, and the general public.

Note that it is very possible for TPJ to do exactly what they have accused DeLay of doing — laundering money through 3rd-party groups so that they can proudly claim that they do not accept corporate money. It would be very easy, say, for companies owned by George Soros to donate one of his organizations with the understanding that it will be used to go after Tom DeLay.

The next step

It’s time for the blogosphere to step up to the plate and ask TPJ to unseal its finances. How much money did George Soros funnel to TPJ through, say, The Open Society Institute. Other than the letter I referenced, what sort of contact did TPJ have with Ronnie Earle. And what type of contact did Earle have with other leftwing special-interest groups or the Democrat Party. We cannot count on the mainstream media to do this for us — we have to do it for ourselves.