Free Republic

Back in November, we editorialized that to get a better idea of how credible is the conviction of Tom DeLay, "look to the sentencing phase." Well, the sentence has been rendered and it's easy to see that the conviction has virtually no credibility.

This is so potentially great, even greater than we thought it could be. For a while, ex-Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle talked about running for governor. That could have led to a November battle between Democrat Earle and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, now running against Gov. Rick Perry in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Earle v. Hutchison would have been a rematch of the battle previously known as The State of Texas v. Hutchison, a long-ago criminal case in which Earle was The State of Texas and he wanted to send Hutchison to prison for up to 51 years. The...

Former DA Earle running for Lt. Gov. By Kate Alexander | Friday, December 18, 2009, 06:36 PM Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is running for lieutenant governor of Texas. Earle, who retired last year after more than three decades as district attorney, filed paperwork with the Texas Democratic Party late Friday to seek the party’s nomination for the statewide office. The winner of the Democratic primary in March will probably face the Republican incumbent David Dewhurst next fall. At this point, Earle is the sole filer for the party’s nomination, but Austin deli owner Marc Katz is...

Now that Congress has recessed, and since the conventions aren’t for a couple of weeks, Thursday’s The Situation Room turned back to the "hot" issue of what many liberals are calling on congressional Democrats to do: arrest and lock-up Karl Rove for his failure to testify on the issue of the firing of U.S. attorneys in late 2006. CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, as part of a report on this possible move by the Democrats, conducted a search for the supposed jail inside the U.S. Capitol. He also addressed the little-used power of the legislature to arrest and try government officials...

Ronnie Earle's legacy as Travis County district attorney If Ronnie Earle were a fisherman, he might spend time talking about the ones that got away. Others certainly do. Earle, who officially vacated his post as Travis County district attorney on Thursday, might be remembered most for the failed prosecutions of some of the biggest names in Texas politics. Indeed, his short-term legacy will be influenced heavily by unfinished business. Yet to be resolved are indictments that caused former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay — the no-compromise conservative firebrand — to step down. Then, of course, there are the unresolved Yogurt Shop...

WASHINGTON — Nearly 32 months after a Texas grand jury indicted him for election-law violations, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay still hasn’t gotten his day in court on one count of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. More than two years ago DeLay surrendered to a Harris County jail. Even by Texas standards, that lag is an unusually long time for a relatively minor criminal case to remain unresolved.

After more than three decades as the Travis County District Attorney, Democrat Ronnie Earle's seat is up for grabs. It won't be taken by a Republican since no one from the GOP filed to run in the March primary. The main watchdog position in Texas will stay in the hands of Democrats. "Obviously the issue that sets this particular district attorney position apart from any other in the state of Texas is the presence of the Public Integrity Unit," Travis County Democratic Chairman Chris Elliott said. The district attorney doubles as the primary ethics enforcer for the state government. Republicans...

AUSTIN—Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle on Friday announced he won’t seek re-election next year. The 65-year-old Democrat was at the center of the criminal investigation of Republican former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. DeLay quit Congress last year. Earle’s term has one year remaining, and his resignation will bring to an end to his three-decade reign in which he battled some of the biggest names in Texas politics. Earle has been criticized by DeLay and other Republicans, who say some of his prosecutions of elected leaders are politically motivated. "This is a no-brainer for him. He never had...

Candidates lining up to replace longtime Travis County district attorney. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who has led that office since 1977, told his staff today that he will not seek re-election. He was expected to issue a statement later. Earle, 65, will serve the one year remaining on his term, but his retirement will end an era. "Is the district attorney's job an elective office?" Ken Oden, a former county attorney, once quipped about his friend's long tenure. Earle, a Democrat, might not be done with politics. By retiring, he would be available for a gubernatorial bid in...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay finally won one Wednesday in his effort to beat back a campaign-related indictment in Texas. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decided not to reinstate one charge of conspiracy to violate a state election law that had already been thrown out by a lower court judge.

A state district judge dealt a crippling blow Thursday to the nearly four-year prosecution of the Texas Association of Business, throwing out a felony indictment against the state's largest business organization. District Judge Mike Lynch ruled that 2002 pre-election ads produced by the group did not expressly advocate the election or defeat of Texas legislative candidates. Travis County prosecutors had said the group broke state election law by using corporate money to support candidates. MOST POPULAR STORIES Man's body found in East Austin A death in Caldwell Milwaukee deals Ford to Toronto Athletic director Dodds to get raise District looks...

- - Several judges have conflicts similar to those of 2 jurists who had to step down AUSTIN - The appearance of possible bias forced two judges out of the criminal case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay last year, and similar issues could taint some judges on two appeals panels that are now considering the charges against the former majority leader. The two three-judge panels on the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin are considering appeals that could effectively end the DeLay prosecution. One panel is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case Wednesday. Several judges on the panels...

AUSTIN (AP) - Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay will move a step closer this week to resolving felony charges against him, but the appeals court hearing may remind voters about his legal troubles at a time when he is trying to win re-election to Congress. >>>Prosecutors on Wednesday (3/22/06-TAB)<<< will try to convince the 3rd Court of Appeals to restore the criminal conspiracy and money laundering charges against DeLay that cost him his post as House majority leader last fall. DeLay also has one other money laundering count against him. State district Judge Pat Priest dismissed the conspiracy part of the...

DeLay Gets Court to Halt, Void Subpoenas Mar 13, 7:09 PM (ET) By SUZANNE GAMBOA WASHINGTON (AP) - A Texas appeals court Monday granted Rep. Tom DeLay's request to stop a prosecutor from filing subpoenas in the former majority leader's pending money laundering case. The Third Court of Appeals panel in Austin, Texas, also said that several subpoenas issued by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle are null and void because DeLay's trial is on hold. In addition, any outstanding subpoenas issued before the trial was put on hold are suspended during the stay, the court said.

arly voting results in the Fort Bend County Republican primary election show U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay with more than twice the vote of his nearest rival, at more than 59%. Republican challenger Tom Campbell has 28.74% of the vote, followed by Mike Fjetland with 6.93% and Pat Baig with 4.65%. Ron Paul, incumbent congressman in District 14, polled more than 80% of the Fort Bend County early vote, while challenger Cynthia Sinatra got 19.41%. Glenn Hegar took the early-voting lead in the race for Texas Sen. District 18, with 2,292 – or more than 57% – of the vote, while...

Defense counsel calls subpoenas a publicity stunt AUSTIN - The criminal case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay is on hold before the Texas appeals courts, but prosecutors continue to issue subpoenas about DeLay's political controversies that are seemingly unrelated to the money-laundering charges against him."It's a publicity stunt," said DeLay lead attorney Dick DeGuerin of Houston. "At last count, there were 60 or something subpoenas."Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle says his investigation of DeLay's fundraising activities is continuing.Earle did not respond to a Houston Chronicle request to explain how his subpoenas — ranging from records of a bribery case...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Ronnie Earle, awaiting the media-driven frenzy of prosecuting former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, may be involved in another courtroom drama this summer. In 1996, Lacresha Murray was 11 when the Travis County district attorney indicted her on capital murder charges -- the youngest person charged with that crime in Texas. Miss Murray was a suspect in the death of a 2-year-old at her grandmother's day care center in May 1996. The toddler, Jayla Belton, lost consciousness and was rushed to a local hospital, where she died. Investigators found no forensic evidence, but on the basis of...

HOUSTON -- At least three Houston television stations have declined to air ads targeting Republican Rep. Tom DeLay, who is facing trial in Texas on charges of laundering campaign funds. Two liberal groups paid for the 30-second ads, which address alleged links between DeLay and a widespread congressional corruption probe of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The ads were to start Wednesday and run for one week. But the DeLay campaign sent letters to the stations threatening legal action, saying the spots are deliberately misleading. "The ad is reckless, malicious, and false, casting Mr. DeLay in a false light by accusing...

So, what exactly are the federal criminal allegations against Tom DeLay? Well, there aren't any. He participated in a golf junket? He says that he thought a nonprofit paid for it, as they often do. He flew on private jets? Is that unique for members of Congress, let alone a crime? Well, he flew on private jets frequently! That may be bad policy, but it doesn't make it a crime. Oh, his wife was employed by a nonprofit. So what? Many congressional families are two-income households. They work for nonprofits, companies, lobbying firms, and the government. And I'm sure I...

AUSTIN -- An appeals court on Thursday thwarted Rep. Tom DeLay’s latest effort to get his criminal trial back on the fast track, denying his attorneys’ request that the case be sent back to a lower court or expedited through the appeals process. >>>DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin said he will take the case to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, (100% Rep Judges - TAB) later Thursday or early Friday. <<< Prosecutors who brought money laundering and conspiracy charges against DeLay and two of his associates have appealed a judge’s partial dismissal of the criminal...

The conservative Free Enterprise Fund plans to fight two subpoenas from Ronnie Earle, the Democratic district attorney of Travis County, Texas, in connection with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s bid to move his trial out of Austin – but Earle has yet to formally serve the Fund. The Fund’s lawyers last week received courtesy copies of subpoenas Earle plans to serve the Fund’s executive director and communications director, requiring them to appear at a Dec. 27 change-of-venue hearing. DeLay’s attorney has filed a pretrial motion to shift the trial from Travis County, which the defense alleges is too liberal...

The judge in the criminal case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay apologized because the case has veered into "a very confused state" in a previously confidential e-mail to defense lawyers and prosecutors. Lawyers for DeLay included that and other e-mails by District Judge Pat Priest of San Antonio as part of their request that the state's 3rd Court of Appeals reverse a ruling by Priest and put DeLay back on track for a January trial on money-laundering charges relating to campaign spending in the 2002 Texas legislative elections. On Saturday, the judge announced that he'd canceled a Dec. 27 pretrial...

AUSTIN - Lawyers for U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on Monday urged a Texas appeals court to help DeLay get a speedy trial, claiming that a long legal battle would disrupt congressional business. DeLay's hopes for regaining his post as House majority leader were dealt a setback Saturday when a judge put the congressman's trial on a money-laundering charge on hold pending the state's appeal of the dismissal of another charge. The Sugar Land Republican has been seeking a trial in early January in an attempt to clear his name before any leadership vote is taken by the Republican caucus when...

In the Matter of Ronnie Earle: I Accuse (Part I) Solomon L. Wisenberg - Attorney At Law November 14 & 22 ,2005 We live in the most powerful country in the world and America is arguably at the zenith of its historical strength. Our leading journalists and newspapers, the New York Times to the contrary notwithstanding, are celebrated as models of professionalism and sophistication. Many newspapers and television networks employ journalists with law degrees or at least with some modicum of legal training. Cable television networks devote a significant portion of their programming to trials and legal issues and one...

Lawyers for U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay asked the Austin-based Texas Third Court of Appeals Monday to put the trial of their client back on the fast track. On Saturday, District Judge Pat Priest canceled a Dec. 27 pre-trial hearing and refused to rule immediately on whether DeLay, charged with conspiracy and money-laundering, could be tried next month on just the money-laundering charge and without his co-defendants, John Colyandro of Austin and Jim Ellis of Washington, D.C. Priest wrote that he is temporarily giving up jurisdiction over the case pending an appeal by prosecutors. Earlier this month Priest dismissed a lesser...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- A state district judge said Saturday he will not immediately consider separating two criminal charges against Rep. Tom DeLay to allow an early trial, another blow to the former House majority leader's hopes of regaining his post. Earlier this month, Senior Judge Pat Priest dismissed a conspiracy charge against DeLay but refused to throw out more serious allegations of money laundering. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle served notice Monday that he intends to ask an appeals court to reinstate the conspiracy charge. DeLay's attorneys had hoped Priest would separate the charges in an effort to...

Gerrymanders are as old as our republic, as Antonin Scalia pointed out in a 2004 Supreme Court decision on redistricting in Pennsylvania. >the courts have rarely overturned electoral maps drawn by partisan legislatures. But people keep trying,...re SCOTUS Texas redistricting acceptance. >raised hopes that the Supremes might finally enunciate a standard for how far is too far in rigging electoral district lines. >in almost two decades of litigation the Court has yet to find a case that justified intervention. Moreover, in 2004, four of the Justices....declared themselves ready to throw in the towel and escape from ever hearing another partisan...

AUSTIN - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's lead lawyer accused Travis County prosecutors Thursday of trying to do an end run around the judge so DeLay would be unlikely to get a trial before summer. District Attorney Ronnie Earle's office did not respond to a request for comment. Senior District Judge Pat Priest had set a hearing for Dec. 27 to hear motions on DeLay's request to be tried separately on a money-laundering charge and on Earle's request to halt the proceedings while he appeals Priest's decision to throw out an accusation that DeLay conspired to violate the election code. DeLay's...

- BEGIN TRANSCRIPT - RUSH: Folks, this is hilarious. The media is outraged that Bush would dare compromise the outcome of a fair trial by proclaiming in advance of the evidence that Tom DeLay is innocent. Of course, we're supposed to forget that during Monica, that during Paula, that during Kathleen, that during impeachment, every damn Democrat liberal in the world was running around proclaiming Bill Clinton's innocence and how he didn't lie -- and of course that wasn't compromising the outcome of anything. Sometimes, I am telling you, I detest these people. I detest, and that is why I...

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has subpoenaed two officials at the Free Enterprise Fund (http://www.freeenterprisefund.org) in connection with ads the conservative group has run criticizing him for his indictment of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.). The ads attacked Earle, who has a history of indicting his political enemies in both parties, comparing him to an attack dog. ( The TV spot was entitled "Bad Ronnie, Bad" (Attack Dog) that is being run in Austin, and other markets. FEF started airing the TV spot on October 12, 2005. Here's the video if you missed it - Funny. It...

AUSTIN - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's lead lawyer accused Travis County prosecutors Thursday of trying to do an end run around the judge so DeLay would be unlikely to get a trial before summer. Senior District Judge Pat Priest had set a hearing for Dec. 27 to hear motions on DeLay's request to be tried separately on a money-laundering charge and on Earle's request to halt the proceedings while he appeals Priest's decision to throw out an accusation that DeLay conspired to violate the election code. >>>DeLay's lead attorney, Dick DeGuerin of Houston, said Earle's assistants took actions Thursday designed...

AUSTIN (AP) -- Rep. Tom DeLay's attorneys filed a subpoena Thursday seeking the testimony of grand jurors, including those who indicted the former House majority leader and those who rejected charges. DeLay's legal team wants to prove prosecutorial misconduct by District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who they say "shopped around" the campaign finance case against DeLay to three different grand juries before finding one that would indict DeLay on money laundering and conspiracy charges. State law prohibits prosecutors from attending grand jury deliberations, but the defense alleges that Earle unlawfully participated in the second grand jury's deliberations and tried to force...

Congressman's lawyer dismisses subpoena that may broaden the investigationWASHINGTON - The Texas prosecutor who obtained an indictment against Rep. Tom DeLay is now looking at connections between the former House majority leader and a defense contractor linked to the bribery of a California lawmaker. But the lawyer for DeLay criticized the potential expansion of the criminal investigation involving the Sugar Land Republican as a fishing expedition with a political motive. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, subpoenaed on Monday records of California businessman Brent Wilkes and three Wilkes-controlled companies that made a political contribution to a Texas fundraising...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Prosecutors asked a judge Monday not to let Rep. Tom DeLay's trial begin while they appeal the dismissal of one of the three campaign-finance charges against the former House majority leader. If Judge Pat Priest agrees to a delay, it could be another blow to DeLay's hopes of regaining his leadership post. The Texas Republican was forced to step down under House GOP rules after being charged earlier this year, and he cannot regain his post as long as he remains under indictment. For that reason, he has asked for a dismissal of the case, or else...

Nothing shows a scheme existed, the defense says To get a conviction against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay and two associates, Travis County prosecutors will have to prove the men knowingly raised or converted corporate cash with the intent of getting around the state's ban on using such money in campaigns for elective office. DeLay's top lawyer, Dick DeGuerin of Houston, said prosecutors lack the evidence to prove any such scheme occurred. The road map for what prosecutors will need to prove to get a conviction in DeLay's case was clearly spelled out in a ruling last week by Senior District...

AUSTIN - The judge in U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's criminal case said today he is unlikely to allow DeLay to be tried separately from his co-defendants or on only one of the two money laundering charges still pending against him. "It is unlikely that I will grant a severance of counts or even of defendants in the absence of a compelling reason to do so," Senior District Judge Pat Priest said in letter to lawyers in the case. He said he also likely will reject the request of DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin of Houston, to try DeLay only on a...

AUSTIN - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay is seeking a January trial on his money-laundering charge regardless of whether the Travis County District Attorney's Office appeals the dismissal of a related conspiracy charge. DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, on Wednesday asked a judge to separate the money-laundering charge from a charge of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. "We have a right to sever (the charges) and proceed. We want this done and over with as quickly as possible," said DeGuerin. Senior District Judge Pat Priest on Monday threw out a third charge of conspiring to violate the state election code, but...

DeLay Seeks to Split Charges To Get to Trial More Quickly Associated Press December 7, 2005 3:05 p.m. AUSTIN, Texas -- Rep. Tom DeLay asked a judge Wednesday to separate the two remaining charges against him and let him to go to trial quickly on one count. The Texas Republican is seeking a quick resolution of the charges so he can regain his post as House majority leader when Congress reconvenes in late January. House GOP rules prevent him from serving in the post as long he remains under indictment. On Monday, Texas Judge Pat Priest on Monday dismissed one...

On Wednesday’s CBS Evening News, anchor Bob Schieffer reminded viewers how “we reported last night that a group of House Republicans was ready to start proceedings to permanently remove Tom DeLay from the House leadership because of his indictment on campaign money laundering charges. Well, the Republicans held a closed-door meeting today, but there was no effort to remove DeLay, who has stepped down temporarily until the case is resolved.” Indeed, on Tuesday’s newscast Gloria Borger claimed that “tomorrow morning, House Republicans are going to meet behind closed doors and they are going to tell their leaders in no uncertain...

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) yesterday dismissed the notion that House Republicans would try to oust him permanently from leadership. Speaking shortly before a second potential candidate withdrew his name from consideration, DeLay said, “The conference knows what’s going on. There’s no leadership race.” He made his comments when asked by The Hill whether he would try to persuade members to hold off on a race to replace him. He told a small group of reporters in the Capitol basement, “You all know there is no leadership race. You all are creating a leadership race.” Just hours later, Republican Study Committee...

" ...the legal – legal hurdle for Ronnie Earle got steeper today." – National Public Radio's Mara Liasson "I agree with all of that, and my guess is that DeLay will survive this." – Roll Call's Mort Kondracke "Let's give credit to DeLay though for winning this one today....I don't think...Ronnie Earle has a very good chance at all of proving all of these things that DeLay was involved in all of this. It just isn't going to happen." – The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes Yesterday, a Texas judge made the decision to throw out the first indictment leveled against...

- Gerrymander Slander - On the question of minority voting rights, neither Republicans nor Democrats are covered in glory. In the latest chapter, House Democrats, led by California’s Nancy Pelosi, have gone ballistic over a leaked Department of Justice memorandum which concluded that the 2003 Texas congressional redistricting plan violated the Voting Rights Act. Pelosi has called for an independent inquiry into “the contemptible politicization of the Justice Department to rubberstamp Congressman Tom DeLay's illegal redistricting scheme” Illegal? Gee, we thought that when a federal three-judge panel decided after a lengthy trial that the plan was constitutional, that also meant...

Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is seeking election reports filed by the Republican National State Elections Committee in New Jersey, in connection with the conspiracy and money-laundering case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. Earle’s office on Tuesday directed the Travis County District Clerk to issue a subpoena for quarterly receipt-and-expenditure reports filed by the RNSEC for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Other than the fact the RNSEC is alleged to have played a role in events that led to DeLay’s conspiracy indictment, it’s unclear why Earle is seeking the New...

AUSTIN -- No one disputes that it's been illegal for years to launder money in Texas. But could it be done with a check? The answer to that question could determine whether former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay faces trial on political-corruption charges or sees the indictments thrown out without spending another day in court. At issue is a $190,000 check dated Sept. 13, 2002, and sent to an arm of the Republican National Committee in Washington. It was drawn on the account of the political-action committee Texans for a Republican Majority, which DeLay helped found and which is at...

11.22.05 - For more than three hours Tuesday, the defense team fired a barrage of objections to the indictments. "No crime occurred," DeGuerin said in his opening remarks, "and no crime is charged." The defense team argued that Texans for a Republican Majority legally raised the corporate money, then donated $190,000 of it to the RNC, where it could legally be spent in 26 states that allow corporate money in campaigns. On the other hand, the team argued that the RNC's $190,000 - raised from individuals from around the country - was legally given to Texas candidates. "It wasn't the...

The attorneys for Tom DeLay and Ronnie Earle are battling it out in the courtroom today over a motion to dismiss. I should point out that a motion to dismiss is almost always filed by the defendant but is seldom granted by judges, the theory being that a District Attorney would not file a case without reasonable cause and that the court is the proper venue for determining whether the facts and the law are actually applicable. Personally, I would be very surprised if the motion to dismiss is granted. If it is, then Ronnie Earle should quietly resign his...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Rep. Tom DeLay will have to wait for a decision on whether conspiracy charges against him will be dropped without a trial, a judge said Tuesday. At a hearing, Senior Judge Pat Priest said he wanted to read written responses from both sides before making his ruling, and didn't say how long it might take. The hearing on various motions was continuing Tuesday. DeLay, fighting to regain his post as House majority leader, appeared in court before Priest for the first time as his legal team tried to get the charges accusing him of violating state...

- - Like DeLay's committee, groups run by 30 other members of Congress took corporate money and transferred funds to national party accounts - - WASHINGTON, November 21, 2005 — Hours after Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was indicted by a Texas grand jury, he went on national television to refute the charges and to tell viewers that he was not alone: other members of Congress had made transactions similar to those that led to his prosecution. DeLay was indicted by a Texas grand jury in late September on charges of conspiracy to violate state campaign finance laws, which prohibit the...

- War of Words and Subpoenas Continues in DeLay case - AUSTIN - Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has defended himself against accusations of prosecutorial misconduct for going to multiple grand juries to obtain a money-laundering indictment against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. In court filings this week, Earle said taking the case to three separate grand juries was neither improper nor illegal, and he opposed efforts by DeLay's attorneys to obtain access to information about secret grand jury proceedings. (But Earle's grand jury polling and results presentation is highly illegal - fla) 1.) DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin of Houston,...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Rep. Tom DeLay's trial on conspiracy and money laundering charges should stay in Austin despite the former House majority leader's attempt to move it to his home county, a Texas prosecutor argued in court documents filed Thursday. DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin has requested that the trial be moved out of Travis County, contending that because the allegations involve election code violations, the proceedings should be moved to Fort Bend County, the GOP-leaning county where DeLay was voted into office. But Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle argued that the allegations are criminal charges, not election code...