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Don Siegelman Update
DON SIEGELMAN UPDATE....Remember the Don Siegelman case? He was the popular Democratic ex-governor of Alabama who was planning to run again in 2006 but was conveniently prosecuited on flimsy corruption charges and thus put out of action. Background here, here, and here.
Today, Time reports that John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has yet more evidence that Leura Canary, the U.S. Attorney in Alabama who was a major supporter of Siegelman's Republican opponent, remained involved in the case even after she claimed she had recused herself:
Conyers says the evidence raises "serious questions" about the U.S. Attorney in the Siegelman case, who, documents show, continued to involve herself in the politically charged prosecution long after she had publicly withdrawn to avoid an alleged conflict of interest relating to her husband, a top GOP operative and close associate of Bush adviser Karl Rove. Conyers' letter also cites evidence of numerous contacts between jurors and members of the Siegelman prosecution team that were never disclosed to the trial judge or defense counsel.
....The documents — whose authenticity is not in dispute — include e-mails written by Canary, long after her recusal, offering legal advice to subordinates handling the case. At the time Canary wrote the e-mails, her husband — Alabama GOP operative William J. Canary — was a vocal booster of the state's Republican governor, Bob Riley, who had defeated Siegelman for the office and against whom Siegelman was preparing to run again...."A recused United States Attorney should not be providing factual information ... to the team working on the case under recusal," Conyers wrote Mukasey last week.
Will Mukasey do anything about this? Who knows? But if he doesn't, a Democratic replacement just might. Stay tuned.
A nice orange jumpsuit would look really good on Karl Rove.
I think we're going be shocked with the number of Bushinestas who wind up in the slammer once the BS they engaged in is exposed.
I think the juror contact is the big problem for her - I just took the multistate ethics exam (required by state bars to be admitted) and that was one subject they touched on. Any contact with a juror is an absolute no-no - should be reported immediately. This is disbarment level misconduct.
The US Attorney should be disbarred.
The AUSA's who communicated with jurors should be disbarred.
There likely are criminal charges too. This might be jury tampering by the AUSA's.
These allegations do not directly implicate the trial judge - except for his lack of control of communication with jurors, which requires further examination - but other aspects of the judge's conduct of the trial (such as letting these charges even get to the jury, and ordering the immediate imprisonment of the defendant during pendency of the appeal) suggest that impeachment of the judge by the Senate is in order, at least.
Railroading a political opponent on trumped-up charges was a MAJOR crime, a threat to the Republic and a dreadful persecution of an innocent man. Heads should roll.
g. powell:
I doubt if anyone at this blog will be 'shocked' at the number of rolling heads, disbarred attorneys, or numbers of Republicans added to the jail house membership.
But newly appointed prosecutors should try their best to shock us all.
Among the communications from the jurors to the prosecution was one juror who expressed a romantic interest in someone seated at the prosecutor's table and also requested career advice.
WTF?
If the Democrat's don't prosecute cases like this then people will be led to believe that both sides do this all the time.
"evidence of numerous contacts between jurors and members of the Siegelman prosecution team"
What?
What?
Simply the very pointy tip of a HUGE iceberg of ReThuglican corruption. Wake up, the rot goes to the core of everything they touch.
Lots more to come. Stand by.
"...it`s the end of the owrld as we know it and I feel fine..." - REM
g. powell: I think we're going be shocked with the number of Bushinestas who wind up in the slammer once the BS they engaged in is exposed.
With President Barack "Bipartisan" Obama? Keep dreaming. What we need is for him to switch places with his lesser known twin, Barry "Go For the Jugular" Obama.
This is the same thing that happened when Clinton took office and he and Democrats in congress squashed further investigation of Iran-Contra (over the protests of life-long Republican prosecutor Walsh no less).
Democrats still haven't gotten the memo: don't bring a knife to a gunfight.
Prosecuted? Who are you kidding - they are printing pardons 24/7 in the White House basement as we speak.