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WHY IS THE PREVIOUS GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA IN JAIL?

[+] serious ballot by Mithrandir
ACTIVE Mon Feb 25, 08 - Tue Feb 24, 09

Don Siegelman was the most successful Democrat in Alabama, a Republican state. He was governor from 1998-2002. When he vied for reelection in 2002, he lost when a late-night change in the vote count gave his rival a suspicious victory of 3000 votes.

In 2005, as Siegelman was preparing his 2006 campaign, he was indicted for accepting a bribe - specifically appointing the businessman Richard Scrushy to a state hospital board in exchange for a contribution to a campaign for a state lottery to fund education. This seems suspicious to me, because Siegelman did not profit personally from that exchange, he didn't pocket any money for himself - so I don't see how that is a bribe. Elected officials across the country appoint people who contribute to their political campaigns without facing criminal charges.

Not only was Siegelmen found guilty of criminal activity, he was sent to jail directly from the court house for 7 years and denied appeal.

Now, 52 State attorney generals (both democrats and republicans) have asked Congress to investigate whether the prosecution of Siegelman was pursued not because of a crime but because of politics. There are allegations that Karl Rove back in 2001 was asking Republican operatives to catch Siegelman cheating on his wife.

There is a lot more detail on this story in the coverage by 60 minutes last night. For example, Karl Rove and others at the White House were subpoenaed to testify before Congress but they refused to appear. And the Justice Department has refused to turn over hundreds of documents in the case. Oh, and surprisingly, 60 minutes was blacked out in Alabama last night.

It is a clear case of public corruption and Siegelman was rightly imprisoned.
It looks like abuse of power and a travesty of justice.
I don't know, but it looks suspicious
Business as usual for this Administration
Right-Wing Conspiracy
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Very suspicious. Interesting.

entered by : skylab
Submitted on : Feb 25,2008 12:47:37 pm

COMMENTS

Voted : I don't know, but it looks suspicious
Very suspicious. Interesting.

by skylab on Mon Feb 25, 08 12:47pm [+]

Voted : I don't know, but it looks suspicious
The name "Karl Rove" is a red flag right there.

Nice to see that the media is being censored as well. 012

by _Beelzebubba on Mon Feb 25, 08 12:59pm [+]

The following is from Wikipedia:

On July 17, 2007, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Reps. Linda Sánchez (CA-39),
Artur Davis (AL-07), and Tammy Baldwin (WI-02) sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, asking him to provide documents and information about former Alabama Democratic Governor Don Siegelman’s
recent conviction, among others, that may have been part of a pattern of selective political prosecutions by a number of U.S. Attorneys across the country.

by skylab on Mon Feb 25, 08 1:11pm [+]

Voted : I don't know, but it looks suspicious
To paraphrase The Danish Play, "Something is most rotten in the state of Alabama." I'll wait for Lemmingstraggler, in the hopes that he sees this and can shed more light on it.

by Truthseeker013 on Mon Feb 25, 08 1:12pm [+]

"Karl Rove and others at the White House were subpoenaed to testify before Congress but they refused to appear"

crooked bunch of thugs.
shame on democratic congress for not hauling their asses into the court then into jails.

Barack Obama for President.
the only candidate not bought off by special interests.

by LCD on Mon Feb 25, 08 2:40pm [+]

Voted : I don't know, but it looks suspicious
I probably don't know any more about it than the rest of you (maybe less - considering the 60 Minutes blackout). Siegelman was basically a single issue candidate. He ran on getting an education lottery for Alabama, and that was pretty much his entire platform. After a huge ad campaign by the anti-lottery forces ,in which we Alabamans were constantly informed that children from poor families in Georgia were starving because their parents were spending all the grocery money on lottery tickets, the lottery idea got shot down and Siegelman pretty much got shot down with it. He would probably have lost anyway, but the way he lost does look very fishy (especially coming so soon after the 2000 Presidential elections - lightning striking twice so to speak). I never particularly trusted either Siegelman or Riley (the current governor and the man who beat Siegelman in 2002). The bribery charge looks very shady though (and I wonder why they're refusing to allow any appeals - that looks fishy too). If that was a bribe then the entire government ,at all levels, is probably filled with people who should be behind bars.

by Lemmingstraggler on Mon Feb 25, 08 6:22pm [+]