Cheney, Gonzales Trial Prosecutor Yells At Judge

RAYMONDVILLE, Texas — A county prosecutor who brought indictments this week against Vice President Dick Cheney and others pounded his fist and shouted at the judge Friday during a routine hearing. Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra asked Presiding Judge Manuel Banales to recuse himself from the case, which alleges abuse at federally run prisons.

Attorneys for the vice president and other defendants leapt to their feet in objection as Guerra pounded the table and accused Banales of giving the defendants special treatment.

"Now all of a sudden there is urgency," Guerra shouted. "Eighteen months you kept me indicted through the election."

Guerra lost his bid for re-election in the March primary and will leave office in January. He was indicted last year on charges he extorted money from a bail bond company and used his office for personal business, but the charges were dismissed last month.

Guerra said the judge was wrong to allow motions to quash the indictments to be heard before the defendants were arraigned.

Banales called a recess so he could try to contact the chief justice of the state Supreme Court for suggestions on how to proceed, and ordered Guerra, who had slipped out once during the hearing, to remain in the courthouse.

Guerra first said "I will not obey that order," but then agreed to stay if the judge asked him respectfully.

After the recess, Banales adjourned for the day and announced that he would send all documents pertaining to the recusal motion to the chief justice. He tentatively scheduled the parties to return to court Wednesday.

Curious residents packed the well-worn pews of the Willacy County Courthouse's only courtroom for Friday's hearing. The defendants were not required to appear in person.

Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales were indicted in connection with privately run federal detention centers in Willacy. In particular, it alleges that Cheney's personal investment in the Vanguard Group, which invests in private prison companies, gives him culpability in alleged prisoner abuse.

Guerra also indicted judges and special prosecutors who played a role in the investigation of him.

T. Gerald Treece, a constitutional law specialist and professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston, this week questioned Guerra's jurisdiction.

"You can't have district attorneys across the country bringing charges against federal officials," Treece said. And even in a federal probe, Cheney and Gonzales have a "qualified privilege" that would protect them so long as they were acting within their jobs, Treece said.

Comments

[LittlePurpleUSA]

"You're out of order. You're out of order. The whole trial is out of order"

http://littlepurpleusa.blogspot.com

[DarkandStormyNight]

LOL!

[zitlight73]

Cheney and Gonzoles look so smug and pleased with themselves. Even if they are never convicted of anything I hope they spend the rest of their lives fighting off litagation after litagation.

[white mende man]

Quite fitting for a Banana Republican administration to have a Banana Junta-type trial.

[BillMelater]

It sounds to me like these prisons are rife with corruption. Guerra found out while investigating a death and was attempting to do something about it. But the powers that be tied his hands at every turn, which is usually the case. These powers tainted his reputation and assured his deeat in the last election. Now that he is cleared of wrongdoing after the election, he can prosecute again. By finally being able to indict people even though he is a lame duck prosecutor, he can at least bring attention and a national focus to the corruption of these private prisons and the companies that run them. I seriously doubt that the corruption that he is fighting against is isolated to his county. In fact, I would hazard to guess it is state wide and even nation wide. We know too well the Republican way of doing business. Anything that Cheney is mixed up in has to be absolutely corrupt to the core - it is what he does.

[blueskybigstar]

New favorite

[joebaggadonuts]

Is there a local prosecutor with a level head that can help out here???

[lvogt]

"Cheney and Gonzales have a "qualified privilege" that would protect them so long as they were acting within their jobs, Treece said." Really? How can personal investments be part of their job?
Still, being twice removed from the offense seems a stretch but I am ignorant of the facts so I defer to the court.

[Ithamer]

Over the last 8 years the entire administration could/should be prosecuted for their crimes.
Anything short of that will forever put the US justice system/politics on a par with Germany of the 1930/1940s.

[CHIPKEEPER]

so chaney maybe will be able to stay in a prison he owns. sounds nice

[SansS]

Guerra is in the role of the lone wolf. He may have not broken skin but if a pack forms the end game begins to take shape and the formidable becomes vulnerable with every move they make.

The balance of justice needs Guerra to keep the howls up long enough for the pack to hear it and come to his side. Humanity wants to see the balance of justice come out of the shadows.

[laucarlson]

Why isn't anyone helping this guy? He sounds like he's trying to do the right thing. He's not scared of being knocked off like so many others. He's given up everything to pursue this case, which no one else is bothering to do, now that the election is over. A grand jury was involved, too. Help this guy out, somebody!

[liseworks]

My sentiments exactly !!

[nellie]

This sounds like great television.

[Felicty]

It's all just cheap drama.

These bas tards will remain unpunished.

[proudliberal4truth]

I was excited to read about the indictments, but now this prosecutor just looks like a kook! I hope things get better from this point on, but it's starting to look pretty bleak for justice at this rate.

[pfc1369]

So anyone who must shout to try and get some justice in a Texas court is a kook?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

To be called a kook, a person doesn't even need to do that.

He just needs to have the MSM report that he shouted.

At any rate, he is somebody who is going up against some powerful interests.

Remember, Cheney is so powerful that he could shoot a person in the face and the shooting victim would thereafter feel an obligation to appologize to Cheney. This actually happened.

[jl4141]

No, but it's pretty kooky to indict Cheney because he invested in Vanguard (a mutual fund) which in turn invested in the private prison where there were allegations of abuse, and to ascribe the prison abuse to Cheney based on his investment in Vanguard. And that's what this kooky D.A. did. Really, it's ridiculous.

[slaxx]

yeah, i'm still trying to figure out if the guy is just devoted or just seeking some limelight for his career.

[mervr1]

Sounds like Guerra had enough of the BS and the clamp down on him. He needs to go straight for the jugulars of Cheney and Gonzales. If the Judge had anything to do with suppressing this trial from going forward than he needs to be investigated as well.

[Rumplestiltskin]

Another unhinged lefty prosecutor in Texas. Maybe he should indict the man in the moon because it shines on prisons.

[winchestereast]

unhinged or just fed up? cheney has an estimated $85,000,000 invested in vanguard - i wouldn't put that kinda change in something i knew f*&^ all about - private ownership of prisons suggests that you might need to cut corners somewhere if you're gonna make $$$- lends itself to abuse - also leads to disincentive to lift people up from poverty and ignorance which breeds crime, because that would shut down the prison system - cheney is not a stupid man - halliburton made a bundle in no bid contracts in iraq - blackwater too - follow the money trail - will tell you why things went down the way they did - someone had to be expecting a profit -