Ronnie vs. Tom

THERE’s no all-purpose guidebook for such things, but generally when a Washington official is indicted, he confidently proclaims his innocence and then announces-with great regret-that he will not be able to say anything more about the case. That’s how it’s usually done, but it’s not how House majority leader Tom DeLay chose to do it.

“This morning, in an act of blatant political partisanship, a rogue district attorney in Travis County, Texas, named Ronnie Earle charged me with one count of criminal conspiracy,” DeLay told reporters in Washington on September 28, hours after he was accused of campaign-finance-related violations. The indictment, DeLay continued, was “a reckless charge wholly unsupported by the facts. This is one of the weakest, most baseless indictments in American history. It’s a sham, and Mr. Earle knows it.”

About the Author

Byron York

Byron York is a former White House correspondent for National Review.

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THERE’s no all-purpose guidebook for such things, but generally when a Washington official is indicted, he confidently proclaims his innocence and then announces-with great regret-that he will not be able to say anything more about the case. That’s how it’s usually done, but it’s not how House majority leader Tom DeLay chose to do it.

“This morning, in an act of blatant political partisanship, a rogue district attorney in Travis County, Texas, named Ronnie Earle charged me with one count of criminal conspiracy,” DeLay told reporters in Washington on September 28, hours after he was accused of campaign-finance-related violations. The indictment, DeLay continued, was “a reckless charge wholly unsupported by the facts. This is one of the weakest, most baseless indictments in American history. It’s a sham, and Mr. Earle knows it.”