A Texas judge has set an arraignment date for Friday for Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. They were indicted this week by a Texas grand jury on state charges accusing them of responsibility for prisoner abuse in a privately-run federal jail. Cheney, Gonzales and the others named in the indictments will not be arrested, and do not need to appear in person at the arraignment, the judge said.

One indictment charges Cheney and Gonzales with engaging in organized criminal activity. It alleges they neglected federal prisoners and are responsible for abuses in the privately-run prisons in Willacy County in south Texas. The grand jury accused Cheney of a conflict of interest because of his alleged influence over the county"s federal immigrant prison and his investments in the Vanguard Group, which invests in private prison companies. The indictment accuses Gonzales of using his influence to stop an investigation into corruption during the building of another federal jail.

The indictments were brought by Willacy County district attorney, Juan Angel Guerra. Guerra has been in office 12 years but was defeated in the March Democratic primary. He leaves office on December 31st.

An attorney for one of the private prison operators filed motions accusing Guerra of “prosecutorial vindictiveness.” Four of the eight indictments Guerra brought target judges and special prosecutors who played a role in an earlier investigation of him. On Wednesday, the judge, Manuel Banales, said he would not listen to motions to quash the indictments because District Attorney Guerra was not in court.

Willacy County district attorney Juan Angel Guerra joins us now from a studio in Houston. Welcome to Democracy Now.

Juan Angel Guerra, Willacy County District Attorney

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