Should Surprise Nobody
A Mauer County jury took less time to acquit former state GOP chair Ron Eibensteiner of any wrongdoing than it took to write and file the story about the event, most likely.
Former GOP chairman Ron Eibensteiner was acquitted Tuesday on charges he helped steer an illegal campaign contribution into state Republican coffers in 2002.
The jury deliberated less than three hours before finding Eibensteiner not guilty on four gross misdemeanor charges of violating state campaign finance laws.
Well, no kidding.
On this blog, two and a half years ago, we examined the speciousness of the charges against Eibensteiner, Pawlenty's Commerce Department head, and the GOP; the whole five-part piece is located below...:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Eibensteiner:
"This was a total waste of time and expenses on the part of the state to be prosecuting me for this," Eibensteiner said from his car after the verdict. "Of course I'm vindicated because there was never anything there to begin with."
The Strib piece quotes the DFL/media's orthodox explanation of the genesis of the case:
The main evidence in the case was a letter with Eibensteiner's signature that was sent to an American Bankers lobbyist, thanking him for the contribution.
"You decide. Use your God-given common sense, to decide if that letter was not a solicitation," Gray told jurors. "He's not asking for life support, ladies and gentlemen. He's asking for money."
Eibensteiner said the letter was a form letter, one of thousands he signed.
Eibensteiner's attorney Bill Mauzy countered that prosecutors failed to prove Eibensteiner guilty of the charges he faced. He said Eibensteiner inadvertently signed a thank-you note to American Bankers lobbyist Ron Jerich.
The bald-faced nature of the scam practically screams out from the legislative auditor's report, linked in my piece.
The whole "case" presaged, of course, Ronnie Earle's half-assed prosecution of Tom Delay - and for more or less the same reasons; to bog down in quasi-legal impedimenta people they couldn't beat at the polls.
Posted by Mitch at
November 16, 2005 05:49 AM
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Of course he one the case, he had Halliburton buying off the judges. Eibensteiner lied about WMDs when he took Minnesota to war in Iraq, and now it's time they all payed for their actions. So the question is why do you support this?
To putt it another way Eibensteiner lied about WMDs when he took Minnesota to war in Iraq, and now it's time they all payed for their actions. So the question is why do you support this?
Posted by: PWannaB at November 16, 2005 07:14 AMOn a lark, I visited pst.org. It's an actual site, although about what I have no idea.
Posted by: Ryan at November 16, 2005 07:58 AMDoes this mean Karl Rove won't be indicted?
Posted by: Kermit at November 16, 2005 08:16 AMOJ's jury was even faster. Does that mean he is more innocent then Ebensteiner.
I know how it is for those who have no sense of objectivity. If it's your guys it is false charges, politically motivated, and senseless. If it's the other guy, let justice be done and anything short of death is a travesty.
Flash
Posted by: Flash at November 16, 2005 09:08 AMNot true, Flash. If a GOP-affiliated DA were to bring such specious charges against a Democrat functionary, I'd cringe and then criticize him.
Got any examples?
Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
(And don't anyone even think about saying "Ken Starr". Clinton actually did something wrong).
Posted by: mitch at November 16, 2005 09:28 AMClinton didn't do anything wrong until he was backed into a corner after years of the same type of improper witch hunting that you complain about. Starr -vs- Clinton is a prime example of exactly what I was talking about.
Can you list all the Ken Starr Indictments for me, or at least point me to them?!? Bueller, anyone!
Ebensteiner dodged a bullet, and you know it! Maybe he and OJ can get a tee time together in Florida.
Flash
Posted by: Flash at November 16, 2005 09:34 AM"Ebensteiner dodged a bullet, and you know it! "
Flash, not a chance. Eibensteiner was so in the clear - and Hatch was soooo wrong - that it practically oozed from the Legislative Auditor's report. The indictment - like the DeLay indictments - were a travesty.
Eibensteiner didnt' dodge a bullet, he smacked down a punk who was trying to toss a pie at him.
Posted by: Mitch at November 16, 2005 10:21 AMSTARR-RAY INVESTIGATION
- Number of Starr-Ray investigation convictions or guilty pleas (including one governor, one associate attorney general and two Clinton business partners): 14
- Number of Clinton Cabinet members who came under criminal investigation: 5
CRIME STATS
- Number of individuals and businesses associated with the Clinton Administration who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes: 47
- Number of these convictions during Clinton's presidency: 33
- Number of indictments/misdemeanor charges: 61
- Number of congressional witnesses who have pleaded the Fifth Amendment, fled the country to avoid testifying, or (in the case of foreign witnesses) refused to be interviewed: 122
SMALTZ INVESTIGATION
- Guilty pleas and convictions obtained by Donald Smaltz in cases involving charges of bribery and fraud against former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy and associated individuals and businesses: 15
- Fines and penalties assessed: $11.5 million
CLINTON ADMINISTRATIVE CRIMES
FOR WHICH CONVICTIONS
HAVE BEEN OBTAINED
Drug trafficking (3), racketeering, extortion, bribery (4), tax evasion, kickbacks, embezzlement (2), fraud (12), conspiracy (5), fraudulent loans, illegal gifts (1), illegal campaign contributions (5), money laundering (6), and finally, perjury and obstruction of justice convictions of Bill Clinton himself.
Some witch hunt. We're still waiting to see what Cisneros was up to. And how about the Clintonite windfall in Haiti? From the WSJ:
"...it is worth revisiting the status of Haiti today, especially to ask how it came to pass that in the wake of this intervention, President Clinton's political associates--including a former Democratic Party finance chair, a former White House counselor and Joseph P. Kennedy II--ended up in commercial relationships with the Aristide government's monopoly-owned telephone company."
http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=95000544
Democracy restored, right?
Posted by: Eracus at November 16, 2005 10:24 AMThe media story took longer to write and file because they had to tear up the pre-written one they had ready to go.
Posted by: Night Wrtier at November 16, 2005 11:42 AMIt's actually Mower County, but if you're suggesting we rename it after Joe, I'm with you.
Posted by: Sisyphus at November 16, 2005 04:45 PM