Corporate financed takeover of Texas Politics Illegal

Statement from Dem Party:

"Judge Hart's landmark decision that TRMPAC failed to report $532,000 in corporate contributions makes two things very clear: there was an illegal conspiracy in 2002 to break Texas law, and Tom DeLay and Tom Craddick were at the center of that conspiracy.

"Everything since then -- the takeover of state government by extremist politicians paid for by corporate interests, the unprecedented mid-decade redistricting to give the GOP seats it couldn't win at the ballot box, the failure of Texas Republicans to address the state's most pressing public policy challenges -- flows from the illegal conspiracy directed by Tom DeLay and Tom Craddick.

"Bankrupt public schools? Eligible children stripped of their health insurance? Soaring college tuition rates? No ethics reform? The
highest homeowners' insurance rates in the nation? Blame it on the illegal conspiracy directed by Tom DeLay and Tom Craddick."
-- CHARLES SOECHTING - Chairman of Texas Democratic Party in email.

More on the TRMPAC decision at The Daily DeLay.

Plaintiffs charged TRMPAC and its Treasurer with raising and spending approximately $600,000 in corporate contributions for political activities which is strictly prohibited under Texas law. (Including $190,000 in corporate funds that TRMPAC sent to the RNSEC that was returned in direct campaign contributions to TRMPAC endorsed Republican House candidates.) The prohibited activities included candidate recruitment, fundraising activities, polling, message development and voter identification efforts. Plaintiffs also charged that the defendants failed to report the contributions and expenditures in their Texas campaign disclosure reports. Plaintiffs sought approximately $1.2 million in damages (twice the amount of the illegal contributions.)

Tom DeLay was intimately involved in the entire TRMPAC operation. He served as head of TRMPAC's advisory board, admits that TRMPAC was created on his initiative, and that he raised money for TRMPAC. Documents show that DeLay attended multiple fundraising events where corporate dollars were solicited for TRMPAC.