Happy GOP Fraud Day!

First DeLay... this is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. But nonetheless, it's happening.

A Texas grand jury today indicted Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) on a criminal count of conspiring with two political associates to violate state campaign finance law, and DeLay announced he would temporarily step down as House majority leader.

DeLay later denounced the charge against him as "reckless," and he acerbically blasted the Democratic district attorney prosecuting the case as "an unabashed partisan zealot" seeking revenge for Democratic political defeats in Texas.

Note that the Republican strategy never strays far from their "blame the Democrats" strategy. I'll stand his sore attitude because he's screwed anyway.

From the actual indictment (PDF format, props to Anthony):

"The Grand Jury further presents that, with the advice and consent of counsel, the defendant, Thomas Dale DeLay, did heretofore knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waive the application of Articles 12.01 and 12.03 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure to the indictment presented herein. "

Senator Frist, you're next.

A new analysis by my Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights has found that Senator Frist made between between $2 and $6 million by selling his HCA holdings just before stocks plummeted in the face of a bad earnings report. In addition, overly rosy earnings projections made by HCA executives just as Frist and HCA insiders were disposing of the stock en masse, point to a coverup by insiders intent on keeping stock prices high until a disappointing earnings report surfaced.

Oh, and a hillarious look at the new GOP Majority Leader, Representative David Dreier (R-CA) from a Daily Kos diary...

Have fun kids, today is a brighter day after all.


[[ update ]]

Okay, the above diary is still funny... but it seems to be that Speaker Dennis Hastert has asked Rep Roy Blunt (props to Monte) to assume the duties of the Majority leader. And guess what? This cycle will never end!

DeLay, 58, was indicted on a single felony count of conspiring with two political associates. The two previously had been charged with the same conspiracy count. They are John Colyandro, former executive director of a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay, and Jim Ellis, who heads DeLay's national political committee.

DeLay's successor, Blunt, also has a connection with Ellis, federal records show.

Since May 2003, Blunt's political action committee, the Rely On Your Beliefs Fund, has paid at least $88,000 to Ellis' firm, the J.W. Ellis Co., for political consulting and fundraising. The spending figures were compiled from government records by the nonpartisan Political Money Line, a campaign finance tracking service.

Keep 'em coming. Show everybody what y'all are REALLY made of (besides lots of shady soft money)...