The Miers-Earle Axis of Eeee-villl

In one of those convergences that alway seem inevitable in retrospect, the wingnuts' frothing hatred of Ronnie Earle has collided with their outrage at Harriet Miers, resulting in a peanut-butter-cup of a story at World Net Daily: Tom DeLay prosecutor tied to Miers-run lottery.

The opening graphs:

As a key figure in the Texas Lottery Commission under Harriet Miers in 1997, former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes made an illegal campaign contribution to Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the prosecutor who has brought charges against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

But WND can find no evidence Miers or the commission ever took any legal action against Barnes, reports WND columnist Jerome Corsi today.

So begins a rambling, semi-coherent tale of alleged corruption...and of Harriet Miers' failure to punish it. The problem is that Miers' link to the whole thing is vague and tenuous; she didn't give the money to Earle, Barnes did. And Barnes was not even an employee of the Lottery Commission, but a lobbyist on contract to the commission.

So let's go to Jerome Corsi for more detail:

WND could find no evidence that the Texas Lottery Commission took any action against Ben Barnes or Ronnie Earle regarding the Barneses' contributions to the Earle re-election campaign. Federal prosecutors in the Smith conviction claimed that Barnes' kickback payments to Smith were a "blueprint" for the kinds of illegal schemes Smith was advancing around the country in his role as GTECH's national sales manager. Despite the many allegations of payment impropriety and questionable political lobbying done on behalf of GTECH at the time, WND can find no evidence that Harriet Miers or the Texas Lottery Commission ever took any legal action.

In January 1998, the Texas Lottery Commission, including Harriet Miers, voted to keep the GTECH contract, even though lower competitive bids were on the table at that time.

Ahhh...the old 'could find no evidence' schtick. Let's not forget all the terrible criminal acts that WND 'could find no evidence' Clinton wasn't doing.

It's a silly, trivial story in itself...but the more interesting thing about it is the clumsy attempt to tie Harriet Miers to Ronnie 'spawn of Satan' Earle. Looks like some of the wingnuts really, really, really don't like Miers.