The AP Gets it Just Wrong Enough

The AP has a strangely misleading article on the DeLay case today. Evidently Ronnie Earle's world is also the world as the AP sees it. (As a side note, FoxNews had another AP article posted under the same title, which was completely confusing in the facts it presented. It confused two of the judges in the case. I can't seem to find the article anywhere now - even in Google's cache - it has been replaced by the one posted now.)

State district Judge Bob Perkins, a Democrat, was removed from DeLay's case Tuesday after DeLay's legal team cast doubt on Perkins' ability to judge the case fairly because of more than $5,000 in contributions he's made to Democrats.

Earle said in his motion filed Thursday that Schraub has made more than $5,000 in contributions to Republican candidates, including to Gov. Rick Perry, a DeLay ally, which calls into question Schraub's impartiality in the case.

Here's the crux of Earle's argument, and the AP either knowingly omits the facts or is ignorant of them (which is hard to believe). Bob Perkins was not removed from the case because he made contributions to Democrats. Bob Perkins was removed because he donated money to organizations such as Moveon.org, after he had already been assigned Delay's case! Moveon.org went on to print pictures of Delay's mugshot on t-shirts as a fundraiser. Can a judge preside over a case when he donated money to the organization that is using the defendant's "guilt" as a fundraiser? Of course not. However, the AP - again, either on purpose or because of ignorance - would like you to believe that he was removed for being a Democrat, as the Judge now should be removed for being a Republican. This, of course, is a foolish argument for anyone passed the 4th grade, as every judge that can preside over the case in Texas will be affiliated with one party or another (as Texas judges are elected). But it doesn't end there. Earle wanted Judge Schraub out (which he did voluntarily - Bob Perkins passed the decision on to a superior - who was a Democrat - who had him removed) partly because he gave money to the Governor of Texas, a Republican.

"Governor Perry was a major figure in the redistricting effort that the (DeLay) successfully argued," Earle said in his motion. "Because Judge Schraub has donated to Governor Perry, he has disclosed through this free speech that he agrees in principle with Perry's agenda regarding Tom DeLay's redistricting map."

The AP makes a glaring mistake here, by finally pointing out Earle's real motivations. As we all know, even if Delay did know about money that moved through his Political Action Committee to the GOP and that money returned to the Texas GOP, it was not against the law in 2002. Further, this redistricting of Texas and Governor Perry's support of it should have nothing to do with the case. However according to Earle it does, because the successful redistricting of Texas and the GOP seats it yielded is why he is prosecuting Delay in the first place! Earle is mad at Delay, and the longer he can make this case stretch out the more damaging it will be. How nice of him.