Vice President Dick Cheney Indicted by South Texas Grand Jury

Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted by a grand jury in Willacy County in South Texas in a bizarre case involving a privately run federal prison and a prosecutor who himself has been under indictment.

Also included in the indictments are state Senator Eddie Lucio Jr and some other public officials who were connected to Willacy County District Attorney Angel Guerra's legal problems. Guerra was under indictment for a year and a half for allegedly extorting money from a bail bondsman and using his office for personal business. An appeals court has ruled that a special prosecutor was improperly appointed to investigate Guerra.

Guerra is ending his term as District Attorney as he was defeated earlier this year in the Democratic primary. Guerra has a certain reputation for strange behavior, having once parked outside the local courthouse in a borrow camper with a horse, three goats and a rooster.

Vice President Dick Cheney's indictment accuses him of "engaging in an organized criminal activity related to the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds financial 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."

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been indicted for "using his position while in office to stop an investigation in 2006 into abuses at one of the privately-run prisons." State Senator Lucio has been indicted for "profiting from his public office by accepting honoraria from prison management companies."

Also indicted:

"GEO Group, Inc., formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corp., and David Forrest, a warden, for murder and manslaughter of an inmate in 2001.

"District Clerk Gilbert Lozano for official abuse of official capacity and official oppression.

"Special prosecutor Gustavo Garza for official abuse of official capacity and official oppression.

"Special prosecutor Mervyn Mosbacker for official abuse of official capacity and official oppression.

"District Judge Migdalia Lopez for official abuse of official capacity and official oppression

"District Judge Janet Leal for official abuse of official capacity and official oppression."

Most legal experts view the indictments as somewhat bizarre, bordering on prosecutorial misconduct. The presiding judge, Manuel Banales, has yet to sign the indictments. Lawyers for several of the people indicted are moving to have the indictments quashed.

The indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales, and the rest may be laughable on their face, an example of a grand jury not only indicting the ham sandwich but also a side of pasta salad. But Guerra's indictments do point to an increasing problem in the United States, which is the use of the legal system to pursue political vendettas.

Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay was indicted in 2005 by Travis County, Texas Ronnie Earle for conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws. Even though the case has not come to trial three years later, Delay was forced to resign from his office as Majority Leader and then his House Seat. Ronnie Earle had previously indicted then State Treasurer Kay Bailey Hutchison for misusing public telephones and assault. Hutchison was eventually acquitted.

All sorts of legal troubles may await officials of the Bush Administration once President Bush leaves office. The Democratic Congress is set to investigate Bush administration officials for a variety of alleged misconduct, mostly having to do with the War on Terror. A couple of towns in Vermont even want to arrest President George Bush and Vice President Cheney for war crimes.

Besides making political hay, the purpose of these sorts of prosecutions (persecutions when one gets right down to it) is to ruin the good names of the people being pursued and to bankrupt them with legal fees. It's the sort of thing that discourages people from entering public service. Clearly some solution should be found to limit these kind of politically motivated legal vendettas, lest the American political system continues to be poisoned by the criminalization of political disagreements.

Sources: Cheney, Gonzales indicted in South Texas county, Christopher Sherman, AP, November 18th, 2008

Cheney indicted in odd S. Texas case, Lynn Brezosky and Peggy Fikac, My San Antonio, November 19, 2008