This is a weird one. Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, along with some local officials, have been indicted by a South Texas grand jury. Cheney and Gonzalez are accused of of engaging in organized criminal activity related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County's federal detention centers.
The Cheney indictment stems from his investments (some $85 million worth!) in companies that run the Texas prisons where the abuses took place.
Cheney's indictment on a charge of engaging in an organized criminal activity criticizes the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. It accuses Cheney of a conflict of interest and "at least misdemeanor assaults" on detainees because of his link to the prison companies.
Megan Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Cheney, declined to comment on Tuesday, saying that the vice president had not yet received a copy of the indictment.
As for Gonzales, he's accused of using his position as AG to stop an investigation in 2006 into abuses at one of the privately-run prisons.
Gonzalez's attorney, George Terwilliger III, said in a written statement, "This is obviously a bogus charge on its face, as any good prosecutor can recognize. Hopefully, competent Texas authorities will take steps to reign in this abuse of the criminal justice system."
I'm no legal scholar but it seems unlikely that we'll be seeing either Cheney or Gonzales in a South Texas courtroom any time soon. The indictments seem to be part of a last minute charge-a-palooza in a county known for some oddball legal moves.
The indictment, which had not yet been signed by the presiding judge, was one of seven released Tuesday in a county that has been a source of bizarre legal and political battles in recent years. Another of the indictments named a state senator on charges of profiting from his position.
Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra himself had been under indictment for more than a year and half before a judge dismissed the indictments last month. This flurry of charges came in the twilight of Guerra's tenure, which ends this year after nearly two decades in office. He lost convincingly in a Democratic primary in March.
At the very least the indictments are an annoyance for Gonzales and Cheney and possibly a clue of legal roadblocks to come for the most secretive White House in history. And fighting charges like this will become a whole lot harder for them once the Bush administration is out of power.
AGAIN,THIS JUST GIVE ANOTHER INDEX INTO THE MECHANICS OF DICK CHENEY. JUST INVESTIGATE HALIBURTON . IT WILL MAKE THIS INDICMENT LOOK LIKE A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEXT. THE MAN IS JUST A TOTAL CRIMINAL THAT SHOULD BE BEHIND SOMEONE'S CRIMINAL SYSTEM, HE AND GONZALES.
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Jim
3:58PM Nov 19th 2008
This sounds like a good start to me. I believe they will all be in courts for the next ten years. This is the most corrupt administration in our history. Look for Bush to issue a blanket pardon for everyone in his administration for any and all crimes that they committed.
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gshort3011
4:04PM Nov 19th 2008
It's about time somebody indicts these criminals.
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ccwstauffer
4:42PM Nov 19th 2008
Let's hope this is only the beginning of seeing Cheney indictments.........however, since he is apparently going to live in Dubai and they do not have extradition rules, the most we can hope for is that once Cheney leaves, he will never be able to come back
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Bas
5:34PM Nov 19th 2008
angie - I would be happy if those writing would at least form coherent sentences, whether or not it is in english.
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PJK
5:41PM Nov 19th 2008
Give me a physical break! Who in their right mind could come up with these indictments? The cloak of office protects them, in any event. Nothing is going to come of these indictments, other than wrongful embarrassment.
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Maribeth
5:45PM Nov 19th 2008
I like Dick Cheney. He and President Bush have been sooooooo maligned by the democrats AKA THE PRESS AND HOLLYWEIRD (Michael Mooreish). The way they have been treated is so disgusting.
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angie
6:06PM Nov 19th 2008
to those who really do not get it,
I AM A AMERICAN, I SPEAK ENGLISH, I SAY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, I BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION OF AMERICA,
I DO NOT CHOSE TO SPEAK SPANISH, NOR DO I CHOSE TO NOT HONOR MY COUNTRY BY AVOIDING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE, OR BY RE WRITING THE CONSTITUTION.
THIS DOSE NOT MAKE ME A RACIST, THIS MAKES ME A PATIROTIC AMERICAN, WHO WILL CONTINUE TO UPHOLD AMERICANISM,
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angie
6:07PM Nov 19th 2008
i don't know what is more pathetic these days, liberal socialist,who riot in the streets,attacking,christians,in there churches, the auto makers in detroit, who Do need to get rid of unions,begging for bailouts, the home buyer who bought a house,no money down,exotic payment scale up,up,up,and away,who now wants others to pay there debt, those who have decided once obama is in office all there woes will be gone, but pathetic it is, and what ever we thought of our elected leaders, no one complained when the desisions to send troops to iraq were made, no one complained when they were buying those homes they could not afford, and auto workers did not complain when unions got them higher wages,and retirement packages, as far as the gays, well this is just disgusting and the whole lot of them need to grow up,, this country was founded on religious belief, not gay rights, stop whinning,stop disgracing this country, stop forcing americans to except a new langage,stop protecting illegals,stop pushing every concept,every sex preference,every nationalality,every religious belief,or no religious belief in the news as some new form of racisim, HAVE ALL AMERICANS GONE OUT OF THERE MINDS,AND IF THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE CHANGE,TALKED ABOUT FOR TWO YEARS,I DO NOT WANT IT
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belle
6:30PM Nov 19th 2008
Sounds like Cheney better watch it or he may end up in one of those prisons where the abuse took place. I also agree kconley they need to investigate Halliburton and all of Cheney and Bush oil holdings/investments, some interesting facts could be discovered. Maybe some criminal activity on both of their parts.
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so we will just cripple ourselves rather than compete?
It will be a wonderful day for America when GWBush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzalez, Rice and the rest of the Republican f*cktards that have been in power for nearly 8 years.
Bush and Cheney should be tried on war crimes and sentenced accordingly.
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Craig
8:46PM Nov 19th 2008
The only thing weird about this one is that it's actually getting some attention from the mouthpieces of the mob, the mainstream news media. Cheney is an utter monster like the rest of our criminal government. I barely recognize this country anymore.
I'm so sick of everything that our government has deliberately done to kill this country I could gnash my teeth. I can't believe there are fools who exist that think this is going to be reversed under Obama or that still think there is actually a difference between democrats and republicans.
Wake up, people, the secret government is running it all. Bush doesn't even run anything! All he does is read off a telepromter and pretend to be president while the shadow government runs it all. Likewise, when Obama takes office, they'll probably stage another false flag terror attack and continue the globalist agenda. And like Bush, Obama will read off a telepromter and run nothing.
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ROLO
10:11PM Nov 19th 2008
BUSH IS NEXT
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jimi
10:12PM Nov 19th 2008
how timely, what a coincidence, just in time for Bush to start granting pardons so no one will investigate how 9 11 was allowed to happen