Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Comments

  1. The 60 minutes story reported that Siegelman, former Governor of Alabama, was convicted of bribery for accepting a $250K contribution for a lottery for education fund from an individual who he then reappointed to a state hospital oversight board in Alabama.  There was no personal benefit whatsoever to Siegelman, and the only evidence of quid pro quo came from a former aide who was himself under indictment, was extensively rehearsed by prosecutors, and was seeking a lighter sentence on the charges he was facing.  The timing of the $250K contribution did not square with the aide’s story, but a jury convicted Siegelman anyway.  The case was the final of a series of attempts by Alabama Republicans to take Siegelman down, including a previous case against him that was thrown out as frivolous.

    <

    p>Enough problems are present with the case that

    52 former state attorneys-general have asked Congress to investigate whether the prosecution of Siegelman was pursued not because of a crime but because of politics.

    <

    p>Add Grant Woods, former Republican attorney general of Arizona, to Laurel’s list of Republicans with a conscience.  He’s quoted:

    “I haven’t seen a case with this many red flags on it that pointed towards a real injustice being done…I personally believe that what happened here is that they targeted Don Siegelman because they could not beat him fair and square.”

    <

    p>Rove comes into the story when a former Republican opposition researcher indicates that he had her attempt to dig up evidence that Siegelman was having an affair.  She found nothing.  She was later called off by another Republican operative and Rove associate, Bill Canary, who told her that Siegelman would be taken care of by other means.

    One of Rove’s close Alabama associates was Republican consultant Bill Canary. Simpson says she was on a conference call in 2002 when Canary told her she didn’t have to do more intelligence work because, as Canary allegedly said, “My girls” can take care of Siegelman. Simpson says she asked “Who are your girls?”

    “And he says, ‘Oh, my wife, Leura. You know, she’s the Middle District United States Attorney.’ And he said, ‘And then Alice Martin. She is the Northern District Attorney, and I’ve helped with her campaign,'” Simpson says.

     

  3. From Harper’s: “In a stunning move of censorship, the transmission was blocked across the northern third of Alabama by CBS affiliate WHNT, which is owned by interests of the Bass Family.”

    <

    p>The Huntsville Times also has the story:
    http://blog.al.com/breaking/20…

    <

    p>60 Minutes was re-aired at 10pm. I’m sure it was just a coincidence that WHNT had difficulties at the regularly scheduled airtime, nothing to do with Republican politics.

  4. We’re looking at a situation in which the Dept. of Justice and federal law enforcement people strongly appear to have railroaded an innocent Democratic ex-governor into a harsh prison sentence.

    <

    p>From a NY Times editorial written when Don Siegelman was sentenced,

    <

    p>”It is extremely disturbing that Don Siegelman, the former governor of Alabama, was hauled off to jail this week. There is reason to believe his prosecution may have been a political hit, intended to take out the state’s most prominent Democrat, a serious charge that has not been adequately investigated. The appeals court that hears his case should demand answers, as should Congress.”

    <

    p>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06…

    <

    p>There are many suspicious aspects to the circumstances: a close election that flipped at the last minute; a recount denied; U.S. attourneys allegedly assigned to “take care of” the ex-governor, for the benefit of a Republican political ally; charges of dubious merit; inconsistent evidence; hauling the ex-governor off to jail immediately, in a manner usually reserved for violent criminals; public officials stalling an appeal by failing to provide trial transcripts required for same. The list goes on…

    <

    p>For more information about Don Siegelman’s plight, see http://www.donsiegelman.org

    <

    p>Why are the media largely ignoring this important case? I can only guess – we’re looking at the same media who acted as cheerleaders for the invasion of Iraq, put drugs-in-sports on the front page, and who try to pass off “he-said-she-said” as political analysis.

Archives