AP reporter John Solomon publicizes Tom DeLay's congressional-campaign website TomDeLay.com, especially its page on The Facts about Travis County prosecutor Ronnie Earle. It's fairly straightforward until it talks to "the experts" about it. There's this expert claim:
Bruce Yannett, a former Iran-Contra prosecutor, said DeLay's campaign effort might raise questions of trying to taint the potential jury pool but the legal standard for making such a case is hard to prove. Nonetheless, Yannett said he could not imagine President Reagan overtly using his campaign to attack prosecutors during the 1980s investigation of the Iran-Contra affair. "I would not recommend his campaign do it. It does seem a little unusual," Yannett said.
That may be true that Reagan didn't whack Lawrence Walsh on a daily basis, but what's this "a little unusual" stuff? Is Yannett so struck by amnesia that he can't remember a POTUS overtly whacking a prosecutor like....Bill Clinton and his wife and cronies (like Dan Rather) whacking Kenneth Starr? (Oh, but Yannett defended Clinton's innocence to the media then, at least here.) Also:
Legal experts said DeLay's use of congressional campaign donations to attack Earle likely was permitted under campaign law, though it could lead to legal questions about whether he is trying to influence potential jurors for his trial. "He clearly is aiming at the jury pool and aiming at voters, hoping to generate as much sympathy as he can," said Larry Noble, the government's former chief election enforcement lawyer. "And it shows DeLay never misses a beat when it comes to fundraising — no matter how dark things get."
Remember that Larry Noble is not just a longtime FEC lawyer, but works for the liberal Center for Responsive Politics, a lobbying group for campaign finance "reform." For more on him, see RedState.
