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In reply to the discussion: The Siegelman Saga: Alabama G.O.P. Wrestles with Retraction (!!) [View all]octoberlib
(14,971 posts)36. This explains the gist of the case
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mimi-kennedy/don-siegelman_b_1851909.html
Don Siegelman should be a star in the Democratic Party. Instead, he's a former elected official sentenced to prison by a right-wing judge in Alabama.
Siegelman had the temerity to be a popular Alabama Democrat who'd won every statewide office by 1998, when he first became governor. With Jewish and Catholic roots, and empathic appeal to minorities, he threatened the GOP "southern strategy" for a dominant one-party Republican nation. To the GOP, Siegelman was potentially Another Clinton -- as repellent to them as Another Cuba.
U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, a friend of Karl Rove's, incited Siegelman's prosecution for bribery, destroying his political career and hurting his family. Read this letter signed by 113 former attorneys general and other national leaders, both Democrat and Republican. They assert that the prosecuted "bribe" wasn't one, and that, if this conviction stands, it threatens every public official and contributor at every level of government. Such routine transactions, if prosecuted, would choke our courts.
Siegelman had the temerity to be a popular Alabama Democrat who'd won every statewide office by 1998, when he first became governor. With Jewish and Catholic roots, and empathic appeal to minorities, he threatened the GOP "southern strategy" for a dominant one-party Republican nation. To the GOP, Siegelman was potentially Another Clinton -- as repellent to them as Another Cuba.
U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, a friend of Karl Rove's, incited Siegelman's prosecution for bribery, destroying his political career and hurting his family. Read this letter signed by 113 former attorneys general and other national leaders, both Democrat and Republican. They assert that the prosecuted "bribe" wasn't one, and that, if this conviction stands, it threatens every public official and contributor at every level of government. Such routine transactions, if prosecuted, would choke our courts.
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K&R & Bookmarking & Are you posting over at DAILY KOS? where a person can subscribe to a feed? nt
patrice
Dec 2012
#1
I believe he could commute his sentence as Bush did with Scooter, or outright pardon him like Ford
rhett o rick
Dec 2012
#10
Yes. The sole authority for granting pardons is given to the President in Art II, Sec. 2,
AnotherMcIntosh
Dec 2012
#15
This must be kept upfront - such injustice should not be allowed to happen
riverbendviewgal
Dec 2012
#4
Related "Hindsight is 20/20 for Mike Hubbard: Don't mix business and politics" Montgomery Advertiser
jody
Dec 2012
#5
Not a bribe in the worst sense, and most likely Scrushy didn't have the bad rep he does now.
freshwest
Dec 2012
#25
TV, that night, in AL, went blank, for 20 minutes, BY COINCIDENCE, just that story, on 60 Minutes.
Festivito
Dec 2012
#47
No coincidence. Saw that when PBS was going to play 'Death of a Princess' in Houston.
freshwest
Dec 2012
#69
Can someone give me the detailed skinny on what happened here? I'm at a loss to this situation. nt
cecilfirefox
Dec 2012
#20
I really want to see this man released. Here is some more about working on his pardon:
freshwest
Dec 2012
#21
Holder did it with Stevens because the corruption of his prosecutors in that case had been exposed.
former9thward
Dec 2012
#48
There is a place o White House.gov for petitions.... commute sentence for the New Year!!! nt
kelliekat44
Dec 2012
#29
Every DAY that passes, that Obama doesn't pardon Siegelman, is a nasty stain on his record
99th_Monkey
Dec 2012
#32
Chalk this up as more reasons to hate Rove-Bush and his honchos and throw them all in jail.
Auntie Bush
Dec 2012
#71