GOP Tries to Make Us Forget About the Grand Jury

This is really a new low: Roll Call reports that the supposedly "tough on crime" Republican Party has launched a television ad blitz against Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle in the wake of a Texas Grand Jury indicting House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Remember, the GOP is accusing Earle of being "partisan" despite him having prosecuted more Democratic political figures than Republican political figures during his career. But far beyond that is a critical detail that seems to be lost in the coverage of the case.

It is true, Earle initially brought the charges against DeLay. But why is everyone forgetting that the grand jury actually looked at what Earle presented, and opted to indict? In other words, Earle didn't indict DeLay, a panel of non partisan grand jurors did. If Earle was some rabid partisan (which he isn't) who had nothing on DeLay, the grand jury would have thrown the case out. After all, that is exactly what a grand jury is FOR - to weed out cases when there isn't enough solid evidence.

If you don't believe me, just look at the definition of a grand jury:

"[A grand jury is] a jury whose function is to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to issue an indictment or true bill charging an individual or individuals with a crime and to take such persons to trial. It is called a grand jury because it has more members than a petit, or trial, jury."

So to review - dishonest ads or no dishonest ads, let's all please remember how the Dallas Morning News accurately reported it: "Grand jurors were presented a load of evidence, including testimony and phone records, that led them to believe Rep. Tom DeLay should be tried." Whether you want to believe Earle is "partisan" or not is irrelevant. That doesn't mean DeLay will get convicted, but it is a critically important point as the GOP tries to politicize this. A grand jury of Tom DeLay's Texas peers - not just Earle - thought there was enough incriminating evidence to indict the House Majority Leader. That's a fact - despite the GOP wanting everyone to forget it.