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From the diaries -- kos)
Sears agreed today to cooperate with Travis County DA Ronnie Earle's investigation into corporate fundraising in Texas. Sears was one of eight corporations indicted (along with three individuals) in the Tom DeLay-hatched scheme to raise corporate money, allegedly launder it through a national Republican party committee, and spend it on races for the Texas state legislature in 2002. The coup de grace for the effort was a new GOP majority in Austin that re-redistricted Democrats out of Congress in a brazen power hungry move.
Sears, which gave a $25,000 contribution, agreed to cooperate fully with Earle, and in a AP quote summarized why this is bad news for DeLay:
"The agreement calls for Sears to cooperate with Texas 'in its prosecution and investigation of any other person for any offense related to the corporate contribution' that Sears made."
Sears is the second company, after Diversified Collections, to turn state's witness. The noose is tightening.
Read more here.