Wow!! Breaking news from South Texas (h/t Faiz Shakir):
Vice President Cheney indicted by Willacy County grand jury
By Emma Perez-Trevino, The Brownsville Herald
A Willacy County grand jury under District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra returned multi-count indictments Monday against Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, plus several other public officials.
The indictment accuses Cheney and Gonzales of engaging in organized criminal activity. It criticizes Cheney'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 by working through the prison companies.
Gonzales is accused of using his position while in office to stop an investigation into abuses at the federal detention centers.
Another indictment charges state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. with profiting from his public office by accepting honoraria from prison management companies.
Also indicted are state District Judges Janet Leal, state District Judge Migdalia Lopez, The GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Corporation), former U.S. Attorney Mervyn Mosbacher, Gus Garza and Gilberto Lozano.
They all face a stream of criminal charges including abuse of office, profiting from office, and murder.
For more information on this story, read Wednesday's The Brownsville Herald.
I can't wait for tomorrow's Herald!
Of course the best part of a Texas indictment is that it can't be blocked through a Presidential pardon. But we'll see if "tough-on-crime" Gov. Rick Perry decides s to go soft for his powerful friends...
Update 1: Scott Horton writes
I spoke with the District Attorney involved, Juan Angel Guerra, earlier this year. He claimed he had been targeted himself by a criminal investigation designed to stop his probe of corruption relating to a federal prison project. I wasn’t able to make sense of the matter, and, after reading the AP report, still can’t. But Cheney and Gonzales should definitely be investigated, and the charges sound just right.
Update 2: Steve Benen says Guerra is a kook:
The AP report noted that the indictments "have not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken on them until that happens." And that, of course, is unlikely to ever happen.
The prosecutor in question is Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra, who's apparently developed a reputation for being something of a ... how do I put this gently ... legal eccentric. A lawyer for Democratic state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., who is also charged in the Cheney/Gonzales indictment, called Guerra a "one man circus."
The description seems to fit. David Kurtz noted that Guerra even got himself arrested not too long ago.
As it happens, Guerra sought re-election as a district attorney, but lost (badly) in a Democratic primary back in March. With his term nearly complete, it appears that he's scurrying to get some 11th-hour indictments against his enemies off his to-do list.
I don't doubt there are many Bush administration detractors who'd be thrilled to see Cheney and Gonzales get indicted, but this probably isn't a development to get excited about.
