[Mb-civic] DeLay Arraignment Is Set for Oct. 21 - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

DeLay Arraignment Is Set for Oct. 21

By Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 1, 2005; Page A07

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) has been ordered to appear at an arraignment on 
Oct. 21 in an Austin courtroom, where he plans to plead not guilty to 
the charge that he conspired with two associates to funnel corporate 
donations to Republican candidates for the Texas legislature.

DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, said yesterday DeLay will be allowed to 
fly on his own to Texas in response to a summons. "They are not going to 
come up and arrest him," DeGuerin said.
By appearing on a summons rather than an arrest warrant, DeLay may be 
allowed to avoid the standard booking procedure of being fingerprinted 
and photographed, although Travis County District Judge Bob Perkins 
could order a booking that day, according to a source familiar with the 
case who is permitted to speak only on condition of anonymity.

DeGuerin also said he had begun to consider whether to attempt to move a 
trial, if there is one, out of Austin -- a Democratic bastion in a 
Republican-leaning state -- to a venue in Texas where the former 
majority leader has greater popularity.

Emphasizing he had made no decision, DeGuerin said, "Not only is Tom 
DeLay controversial, he is radioactive. And he's not very popular in 
Austin. He changed the face of Texas politics with redistricting." 
DeGuerin said some Austin voters think DeLay diluted the city's 
political strength by helping to draw a new legislative map that carved 
Austin into three legislative districts.

"We're discussing it," DeGuerin said of the possibility of requesting a 
different trial location. "Everything is on the table -- except compromise."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/30/AR2005093000153.html?referrer=email
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