DeLay Fires Back

From Tim Grieve at Salon:

Tom DeLay has just responded to the criminal indictment against him, and he did it in his own inimitable style. The criminal charge, DeLay said, is an "act of blatant political partisanship" brought by a "fanatic" and "zealot" who is seeking retribution for the House majority leader's political successes. DeLay said the case against him is a "sham," a "reckless charge wholly unsupported by the facts" and one of the "weakest, most baseless indictments in American history."

DeLay said he has done nothing wrong and violated no law and that he was confident that the criminal case brought by Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle would be dismissed just like "every one" of the "frivolous accusations" against him have been before.

This will, of course, be the GOP's dominant line of attack, namely, that Prosecutor Earle is a partisan democrat and this is simply a political attack on DeLay. Of course, the truth really doesn't jibe with the GOP talking points (does it ever?). From Media Matters:

While Earle is an elected Democrat, as Media Matters for America has previously noted, a June 17 editorial in the Houston Chronicle commended his work: "During his long tenure, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has prosecuted many more Democratic officials than Republicans. The record does not support allegations that Earle is prone to partisan witch hunts." This assertion supports Earle's own claim about his record; a March 6 article in the El Paso Times reported: "Earle says local prosecution is fundamental and points out that 11 of the 15 politicians he has prosecuted over the years were Democrats."