by D. Cupples | Congress's investigation into Justice Department politicization earlier this year is not just about the firing of U.S. Attorneys. It's about the terrifying possibility that the Justice Department may have launched prosecutions to bring down political enemies.
One example is the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. He's now serving a seven-year prison term, based on a case that 44 former Attorney Generals -- Republicans and Democrats -- found highly questionable. Law professor Scott Horton has been keeping up with the story and gave the following update today at Harper's:
"I am hearing from three different news groups suggestions that each is close to breaking a significant further lead in this case. The new information, it was suggested, will show that prosecutors in the case used evidence that they knew, or had substantial reason to know, was simply false, and will link Karl Rove much more closely to Alabama Governor Bob Riley and to the plans to “get” Siegelman using a false corruption charge.
The journalists in question are pushing for further corroboration before going with these stories, but I am still expecting more by the end of the year." (Harper's)
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a contempt of Congress citation against White House staffer Josh Bolten and ex-staffer Karl Rove, who refused to comply with a subpoena for information about Justice Department politicization. The White House ordered Rove and Bolten to ignore the subpoena, based on an executive-privilege claim.
Though the citation may not be approved by both houses of Congress, it is a step toward forcing the Bush Administration to stop hiding evidence.
In October, Time Magazine did an in-depth story with chilling details about the questionable prosecution of Siegelman.
MSNBC has a 9-minute video clip with background on the case and Karl Rove's apparent involvement (the commercial is only 29 seconds). Memeorandum has other bloggers' commentary.
Other BN-Politics Posts:
* Republican ex-AG Thinks DoJ Selectively Prosecuted
* DoJ's Schlozman Alters Testimony re: Election-Related Prosecution
* DoJ's Goodling Admits Administration "Caged" Votes in 2004
* Justice Department: Weapon Against Political Enemies?
* How Just is our Justice Department? Ask ex-USA Charlton
* Fired U.S. Attorney Builds Case Against Gonzales
* Gonzales Resigns, Facing Perjury Investigation
I am greaved about the polical corruption that is happening in Alabama. It has gotten to be like the old bad lands before annexation into statehood. The state is controlled by crooks.
Political corruption in Alabama has gotten totally out of control. Out of the Millions of dollars of Mississippi Choctaw money that Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon laundered and sent to AL. to defeat Siegelman’s Education Lottery in 1999, to elect Bob Riley in 2002 and for Riley to oppress the AL. Poarch Indians, “not a single person has gotten investigated by the ABI or FBI under direction of the offices of the Alabama Attorney General or the U.S. Attorneys.”
Every article written on the 2002 Governors election verifies that the numbers published indicates that Electronic ballot stuffing was involved in Baldwin County to transfer votes from Siegelman to Riley. Siegelman was the winner that evening; however, Dan Gans (Riley’s voting machine software guru) said that Siegelman had too may votes in Bay Minette so during the night a voting adjustment was made that put Riley in the lead. I believe that Siegelman was blackmailed because he didn't put up a fight when votes were swapped and the election was taken from him. No one knew why he conceded to Riley until the Judicial Committee released Attorney Jill Simpson‘s testimony this week. The Democratic Party issued petitions in all 67 counties asking for recounts (not all counties used optical scanning machines), but in Baldwin County in particular, they actually asked for a manual recount (of the paper ballots); however, Alabama Attorney General William Pryor ordered that throughout the state that all votes be sealed. He told the county canvassing boards that under penalty of law they did not have the authority to break the seals on the ballots and machines under section 17-9-31 of the constitution to do a recount. This 2002 election fraud didn't get investigated by the ABI or FBI or the offices of the U.S. Attorneys or the Alabama Attorney General.
Posted by: Rhoda Fleisig | December 16, 2007 at 01:29 AM