Thursday, September 29, 2005
Sen. Hutchison: DeLay Prosecutor 'Corrupt'
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who was indicted three times by Texas state Democratic prosecutor Ronnie Earle in a move widely seen as a bid to derail her 1994 Senate campaign, warned after she was acquitted that Earle had a history of corruption.
The same Travis County prosecutor indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Wednesday - and while so far Hutchison has been silent, she wasn't shy about criticizing Earle 11 years ago.
"Ronnie Earle's record is spotted with controversy, allegations of misuse of power, and corruption," Sen. Hutchison told the Associated Press back then. "This should not be tolerated in a prosecutor with such awesome responsibility."
The Texas Republican's ire followed Earle's repeated attempts to prosecute her while Hutchison was running for office - floating charges ranging from misuse of her office to an allegation that Hutchison "assaulted" one of her employees.
And when a Texas state judge finally ruled that his evidence against Hutchison was inadmissable, Earle summoned reporters to share the dirt he had gathered.
The Buffalo News reported that during the media gathering, the vindictive Earle "announced that a solid majority of 24 mock jurors had repeatedly found Hutchison guilty of the felony charges that she misused state employees and equipment for personal and political gain."
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who was indicted three times by Texas state Democratic prosecutor Ronnie Earle in a move widely seen as a bid to derail her 1994 Senate campaign, warned after she was acquitted that Earle had a history of corruption.
The same Travis County prosecutor indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Wednesday - and while so far Hutchison has been silent, she wasn't shy about criticizing Earle 11 years ago.
"Ronnie Earle's record is spotted with controversy, allegations of misuse of power, and corruption," Sen. Hutchison told the Associated Press back then. "This should not be tolerated in a prosecutor with such awesome responsibility."
The Texas Republican's ire followed Earle's repeated attempts to prosecute her while Hutchison was running for office - floating charges ranging from misuse of her office to an allegation that Hutchison "assaulted" one of her employees.
And when a Texas state judge finally ruled that his evidence against Hutchison was inadmissable, Earle summoned reporters to share the dirt he had gathered.
The Buffalo News reported that during the media gathering, the vindictive Earle "announced that a solid majority of 24 mock jurors had repeatedly found Hutchison guilty of the felony charges that she misused state employees and equipment for personal and political gain."
