60 Minutes exposes another disgusting chapter in the Republican Culture of Corruption
You’ve heard about political prisoners in Cuba and China, well the Bush Administration has one in Alabama
A case that is so replete with good ole boy southern Republican corruption that many Republicans are speaking out against their fellow GOP operatives. 52 former states’ attorneys general from both political parties petitioned Congress to investigate the conviction of former AL Governor Don Siegelman, resulting in hearings held last fall. However, nothing could be accomplished because the Bush administration refused to hand over hundreds of requested documents vital to the investigation and Karl Rove and others refused to show up when subpoenaed. The first indictment against Siegelman was thrown out on the first day. So, when Siegelman decided to run for Governor again, Republicans apparently felt they couldn’t beat the highly successful Siegelman, so they conspired to convict him on bullshit charges. This level of injustice and typical Republican corruption makes me sick.
“I haven’t seen a case with this many red flags on it that pointed towards a real injustice being done,” Grant Woods, the former Republican attorney general of Arizona and one of those who petitioned Congress, tells [60 Minutes] Pelley. “I personally believe that what happened here is that they targeted Don Siegelman because they could not beat him fair and square.” Woods says the case should never have gone to trial. “The prosecutor’s gotta look at it and say, ‘Hey, is this the sort of thing that we’re really talking about when we’re talking about bribery?’ Because what the public needs to know here is there is no allegation that Don Siegelman ever put one penny in his pocket.”
Alabama Republican operative Jill Simpson says Karl Rove asked her to try to prove the state’s Democratic governor was unfaithful to his wife in an effort to thwart the highly successful politician’s re-election. After tailing Siegelman relentlessly, she was unsuccessful and couldn’t find anything on him.
Rove’s attempt to smear Don Siegelman was part of a Republican campaign to ruin him that finally succeeded in imprisoning him, says the operative, Simpson.
Of course, Rove was too cowardly to speak to 60 Minutes or respond to a Congressional investigation.
This dialog I found especially revealing:
60 Minutes Scott Pelly:
“Help me understand something. You’re blaming the Republican administration for this prosecution. You’re saying it was a political prosecution. You are a Republican. How do I reconcile that?”
Grant Woods, the former Republican attorney general:
“We’re Americans first. And you got to call it as you see it. And you got to stand up for what’s right in this country”
Don Siegelman has six years and eight months to go on his sentence.
In case you missed it, watch/read the story.
UPDATE:
60 Minutes story on Siegelman was blacked out in ‘Soviet Alabama. ‘ Roves associates have been trying to swiftboat CBS. Also, interesting to note that during Seigelman’s trial, his house was broken into twice as was his attorney’s office. These thugs will stop at nothing.
You are misusing the term ’swiftboat’. The term means “Telling the Truth about Democrats” (much to their chagrin, I might add…)
Let’s at least agree on terms, no?
NO!
;D
Are you saying Don Siegelman did not commit any crimes?
Heh!
Who gives a shit what YOU think swiftboating means. Everyone knows swiftboating is lying and smearing.
Swiftboating is American political jargon that is used (primarily) as a strong pejorative description of some kind of attack that the speaker considers unfair or untrue—for example, an ad hominem attack or a smear campaign.
Like I told Ned, how could I possibly imagine a political vendetta when Judge Fuller, a lifelong Republican Party activist who participated in two bitterly fought election campaigns against Siegalman, had him immediately shackled, handcuffed and taken to the pen after sentencing? Can you imagine if they did that to Libby? Hell, they didn’t even treat Abramoff that way. It was a personal vendetta. What Seigalman did happens everyday in politics. HealthSouth had no interest in anything before the oversight board in question, and its CEO had been appointed to the same board by three prior governors. This is corruption? A similar case was pursued in Wisconsin and thrown out by a Republican judge. So, I guess you’re calling all the Republicans liars who have come forward saying this was a politically engineered vendetta and smear campaign?
Right after the conviction, Republican Governor Bob Riley was flown to DC to discuss damage control with Rove. BTW… Gov Riley’s Press Secretary was Michael Scanlon who plead guilty of bribery in the Abramoff case.
Nice bunch you support.
I believe that Grant Woods is a man amoung men. To come out against the corrupt politics is a very brave thing to do. This is the kind of man I would vote for in an instant. We are Americans first, political parties second. Being from Texas, I used to be a Republican, until I couldn’t stomach the dirty politics….. I became an Independent, until this last administration…… then I became a Democrat. But, you can call me an “American” because when it all boils down, it’s what we do here on earth, that gets us into Heaven or Hell, and personally, I prefer Heaven. The only way I see that I can get to Heaven, is by doing the right and moral thing.
Helen,
You should know that today’s steadfast Bushies are authoritarians and do not exhibit normal values and morals when relating to politics, justice and the Constitution. What holds their movement together is not what is fair, right and just, but their need to attack, demonize and defeati at all costs any entity that they deem as enemy to their ‘great leader’. Rule of law means nothing, and all abuses of power are excused for the ‘greater good’ as they see it.
Is the point Don Siegelman did NOT commit ANY crimes and was framed by BushCO?
Did Don Siegelman commit crimes or not? WTF William, it is a simple question.
I am not certian if he’s innocent or guilty. I suspect his case would have been thrown out in any other court.
From Harpers:
Repeatedly the prosecutors claimed that Siegelman “lined his pockets” and claimed that he was the “nexus of a pay to play” system. The problem with this is that no evidence of personal benefit to Siegelman was ever offered. The charges went forward to trial with no significant evidence to support them. They rested instead on the hysterical rants of irresponsible prosecutors, who would have been reined in by a more conscientious judge.
Consider this, the prosecution against Siegelman was commenced by U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama Leura Canary, the wife of a prominent Republican campaign manager and organizer, William Canary. It was brought before Judge Fuller, a lifelong Republican political activist, in an act of judicial forum shopping after a prior charge was dismissed with prejudice with another federal judge. The prior judge had suggested prosecutorial misconduct in the bringing of the charges. Then, a sworn affidavit submitted by a Republican attorney, who disclosed that the entire prosecution was a vendetta organized by William Canary in conjunction with Karl Rove.
The Justice Department has also specifically stonewalled requests for information about the Siegelman case, pursuing a policy of open contempt for and breach of the Freedom of Information Act that ultimately led the career officer who headed the office to resign, directing charges of gross misconduct at political appointees at Justice.
In sum, it would be a serious understatement to say that this case is “suspicious.” The evidence of a corrupted prosecution is already substantial and unrebutted. Suspicion of prosecutorial misconduct arises from all the circumstances of the case, which give it the obvious flavor of a political vendetta.
The simple fact is that for each count charged against Siegelman, his Republican successor had engaged in identical conduct involving vastly greater sums of money. And some of this had already been thoroughly documented, including by Senator McCain’s committee on Native American affairs in its report on Jack Abramoff’s dive into casino gambling—of which Bob Riley, Siegelman’s opponent, was a very striking beneficiary.
For those that are interested, an excellent blog that shines the light on a certain breed of Republican, like cockroaches, who fear the light. This breed of GOPer strongly prefers dark places, states like Alabama and Mississippi, where an obedient mainstream press is not likely to shine a flashlight in their direction. We have seen the cowardly King Cockroach himself, Karl Rove, scurrying for cover and refusing to go on the record about this case or about the US attorney firings.
The Alabama Klan (GOP), has tried to shuit down this blog to no avail. The truth will stand, even in the face of the slime fired by the swiftboaters.
http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/
The simple fact is that for each count charged against Siegelman, his Republican successor had engaged in identical conduct involving vastly greater sums of money.
I see. So Siegelman should not have been prosecuted because a Republican allegedly committed similar crimes in the term before?
You’re not teaching situation ethics to those young minds in your classes are you? I hope not. Stick with music, you have a gift for that. Writing, philosophy, and politics, not so much.
Dude, you need to read up on this, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Riley is the present AL Governor.
Here’s a good place to start
Hello, Serr8d? Reality calling. The SBVT allegations were almost universally false. The only thing they even got close on was whether or not Kerry was in Cambodia on a particular day.
Michelle Malkin may think that their allegations had some weight behind them, but then again, Michelle Malkin thinks that people who look like Michelle Malkin ought to be locked up in internment camps, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t take her all that seriously…
Dude, you need to read up on this, you don’t know what you’re talking about.
It is a simple question. Did the man break the law?
Well?