 US
Attorneys
 Jack
Abramoff
 John
McCain
 2008
Election
Bob Riley News.
Alabama Republican Politician Robert Renfroe "Bob"
Riley News.
|
Robert
Renfroe "Bob" Riley
BOB RILEY News:
20081114
 Don
E Siegelman -  Karl
Rove -  Michael
Mukasey -  Leura
G Canary - Bob
Riley -  Criminal
- US
Attorney -  Politics
-  Federal
-  Law
-  Alabama
-  Georgia
-  Michigan
"More
Allegations of Misconduct in Alabama Governor Case."
... "Next month in Atlanta [Georgia's capital], a federal court will hear
the high-profile appeal of former [Democratic] Alabama governor Don E.
Siegelman, whose conviction on corruption charges in 2006 became one of
the most publicly debated cases to emerge from eight years of controversy
at the [Republican President] Bush Justice Department. Now new documents
highlight alleged misconduct by the Bush-appointed [United States] U.S.
Attorney and other prosecutors in the case, including what appears to be
extensive and unusual contact between the prosecution and the jury." ...
"The documents, obtained by TIME, include internal
prosecution e-mails [PDF] given to the Justice Department and Congress
by a whistle-blower during the past 18 months. [Michigan Democratic Representative]
John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which investigated
the
Siegelman case as part of a broader inquiry into alleged political
interference in the hiring and firing of U.S. Attorneys by the Bush Justice
Department, last week sent an
eight-page letter [PDF] to Attorney General Michael Mukasey citing
the new material." ... "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had publicly withdrawn to avoid an alleged conflict of interest relating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." ... "Critics, including a bipartisan
group of 52 state attorneys general, have raised numerous questions, including
the allegation that Siegelman was prosecuted at the insistence of Bush-appointed
officials at the Justice Department and Leura G. Canary, a U.S. Attorney
in Montgomery [Alabama] whose husband [William "Bill" Canary] was Alabama's
top Republican operative and who had worked
closely with Rove for years." ... "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 [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican
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. Canary also received tens of
thousands of dollars in fees from other political opponents of Siegelman."
... "A key prosecution e-mail describes how jurors repeatedly contacted
the government's legal team during the trial to express, among other things,
one juror's romantic interest in a member of the prosecution team." ...
"What's more, when prosecutors conducted their own investigation of suspected
improper conduct by jurors after the trial, two of them were interviewed,
despite instructions from the judge that no contact with jurors should
occur without his permission. Those interviews were not publicly disclosed
until nearly two years later, when the head of the [Department Of Justice]
DOJ's criminal division belatedly wrote all parties, including the appeals
court in Atlanta, to inform them." ... "Further undisclosed evidence of
prosecution team members speaking with jurors following the verdict emerges
in [Justice Department staffer Tamarah] Grimes' written statement to the
DOJ." -By Adam Zagorin
-TIME.com
20080311
-
John
McCain
- Bob
Riley
-
 European
-  Plane
- Maker
- Politics
-  US
-  Military
-  Arizona
- Alabama
- 2008
Election - "McCain
Received Defense Firm Cash After Backing Its Contract."
... "Critics on Tuesday questioned whether [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain catered to special interests
when he aggressively threw his support behind a $35 billion Pentagon contract
for a European plane maker." ... "McCain, the presumptive GOP [GOP=Grand
Old Party=Republican] presidential nominee, played a crucial role in blocking
the deal to build air tankers from going to U.S.[United States]-based Boeing,
instead paving the path for EADS [European Aeronautic Defense and Space
Company] to score the loot. He framed his decision as an example of political
integrity; Boeing has previously been exposed of contract abuse. But a
review of campaign finance donations and lobbying records suggests that
money and personal lobbying may have also been in play." ... "On January
15, 2007, McCain appeared at Alabama [Republican Governor] Gov. Bob Riley's
gubernatorial swearing in ceremony and formally called for multiple bidders
in the tanker deal. The push for an open process had only one true beneficiary,
however, and that was the Northrop Grumman/EADS consortium, which was poised
to be Boeing's sole competitor." ... "A day after McCain made his proclamation,
the contributions began to flow. John Green, a lobbyist for EADS donated
$2,100 to the senator's presidential campaign. Ten days after that, Michelle
Lammers, the "Chief of Staff" for EADS North America, gave $250 to the
McCain campaign. It was her first political contribution ever. Less than
a month later, the long-time head of EADS' government affairs program,
Samuel Adcock, made a $2,100 donation to McCain. And eleven days later,
Ralph Crosby, the head of EADS North America, donated $2,300 himself."
... "All told, as documented earlier by CQ PoliticalMoneyline, McCain received
more than $15,000 from EADS and its subsidiary, Airbus North America. Not
only was this the highest amount received by any federal candidate, but
prior to 2006, not a single employee from EADS had ever contributed to
McCain. Two Airbus employees did donate nearly $4,000 for his 2000 run
at the White House." -By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
20080225
-
John
McCain
- Jack
Abramoff
- Bob
Riley
-
 Tom
DeLay
-  Bob
Ney
-  Money
- Politics
- Investigation
- Law
-  EMail
- Alabama
-  Louisiana
-  Mississippi
- Arizona
-  Texas
-  Ohio
-  History
- 2002
Election - 2006
Election - 2008
Election - "McCain
Withheld Controversial Abramoff Email." ... "In the
2006 Senate report concerning [Republican Lobbyist Jack] Abramoff's activities,
which [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain spearheaded,
the Arizona Republican conspicuously left out information detailing how
Alabama [Republican Governor] Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's
influence peddling scheme. Riley, a Republican, won election in November
2002, and was reelected in 2006." ... "In a December 2002 email
[PDF] obtained by the Huffington Post -- which McCain and his staff
had access to prior to the issuance of his report -- Abramoff explains
to an aide what he would like to see Riley do in return for the "help"
he received from Abramoff's tribal clients." ... "An official with the
Mississippi Choctaws "definitely wants Riley to shut down the Poarch Creek
operation," Abramoff wrote, "including his announcing that anyone caught
gambling there can't qualify for a state contract or something like that.""
... "The note showed not only the reach of Abramoff, but raised questions
about Riley's victory in what was the closest gubernatorial election in
Alabama history." ... "And yet, despite the implications of the information,
McCain and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee sat on the controversial
portion of the email. According to an official familiar with the investigation,
McCain also subsequently refused to make the email public after the report
was released." ... "There was a brief footnote in the report that quoted
William Worfel, former vice chairman of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana,
saying that Abramoff told the chief of a Mississippi tribe to spend $13
million "to get the governor of Alabama elected to keep gaming out of Alabama
so it wouldn't hurt ... his market in Mississippi."" ... "But Riley's name
and the details of what was being asked of him were not mentioned once
in the 373-page document." ... "Indeed, as the Associated Press noted
in 2006, McCain stayed deliberately agnostic as to Riley's involvement."
... ""Although Sen. McCain has long bragged of his role in the Abramoff
investigation, he let [former Texas Republican Representative] Tom DeLay
and the other members of Congress who were doing Abramoff's bidding completely
off the hook. The sole exception was [former Ohio Republican Representative]
Rep. Bob Ney, who served time in prison," Melanie Sloan, Executive Director
of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics In Washington told the Huffington
Post recently. "Sen. McCain knew what his colleagues were up to, he chose
to take the easier path and give them a free pass.""
-By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
20080224
-
Don
Siegelman -
 Karl
Rove
- Criminal
- US
Attorneys - Law
- Politics
- Secret
-  Spying
-  Intelligence
- 2002
Election - 2006
Election - Prison
- "Did
Ex-Alabama Governor [Don Siegelman] Get A Raw Deal? 60
Minutes Reports On Bribery Conviction Of [former Alabama Democratic Governor]
Don Siegelman In A Case Criticized by Democrats And Republicans."
[ WATCH:
"The Prosecution of Siegelman."
via 60
Minutes] ... "Is Don Siegelman in prison because he’s a criminal
or because he belonged to the wrong political party in Alabama? Siegelman
is the former governor of Alabama, and he was the most successful Democrat
in that Republican state. But while he was governor, the U.S. Justice Department
launched multiple investigations that went on year after year until, finally,
a jury convicted Siegelman of bribery." ... "Now, many Democrats and Republicans
have become suspicious of the Justice Department’s motivations. As correspondent
Scott Pelley reports, 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." ... "“I haven't seen a
case with this many red flags on it that pointed towards a real injustice
being done,” says Grant Woods, the former Republican attorney general of
Arizona." ... "“I personally believe that what happened here is that they
targeted Don Siegelman because they could not beat him fair and square.
This was a Republican state and he was the one Democrat they could never
get rid of,” Woods says." ...
[DON
SIEGELMAN, former Alabama Governor]
TV: [WATCH:
"The Prosecution of Siegelman."
via 60
Minutes]
"Now
a Republican lawyer from Alabama, Jill Simpson, has come forward to claim
that the Siegelman prosecution was part of a five-year secret campaign
to ruin the governor. Simpson told 60 Minutes she did what’s
called “opposition research” for the Republican party. She says during
a meeting in 2001, Karl Rove, [Republican] President Bush’s senior political
advisor, asked her to try to catch Siegelman cheating on his wife." ...
"She says she spied on Siegelman for months but saw nothing. Even though
she was working as a Republican campaign operative, Simpson says she wanted
to talk to 60 Minutes because Siegelman’s prison sentence
bothers her conscience." ... "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." ... "“Federal prosecutors?”
Pelley asks." ... "“Yes, Sir,” she says." ... "His [Bill Canary's] wife
Leura Canary and Alice Martin are top federal prosecutors in the state.
Both were appointed by [Republican] President Bush, and their offices investigated
Siegelman. Details of some of those investigations leaked to the press.
And Siegelman lost his 2002 re-election campaign narrowly to Republican
Bob Riley." ... "Two years later, as Siegelman geared up to run again,
the Justice Department took one of its Siegelman investigations to trial-an
indictment involving an alleged Medicaid scam." ... "“He’s indicted. He
goes to trial. That's a pretty big deal to have your former governor on
trial. Everybody's there. The government gives their opening argument.
The judge says, ‘I want to see you in chambers because this case, there's
no case here,’" Grant Woods says." ... "Woods says the judge threw the
case out, without a witness testifying. “The case is so lame that he throws
it out,” he says." ... "Vindicated, Siegelman focused on winning the 2006
election. And that’s when Jill Simpson says she heard the Justice Department
was going to try again. She says she heard it from a former classmate and
work associate Rob Riley, the son of the new Republican governor." ...
"“Rob said that they had gotten wind that Don was going to run again,”
she says." ... "“And Rob Riley said what about that?” Pelley asks." ...
"“They just couldn't have that happen,” Simpson says." ... "Asked how they
were going to prevent that from happening, she says, “Well, they had to
re-indict him, is what Rob said.”" ... "Simpson told this same story, under
oath, to Congressional investigators in a closed session. Rob Riley told
60
Minutes he never talked to Jill Simpson about this." ... "Four
months after Simpson says they spoke, Siegelman was indicted on new charges."
... "The prosecution was handled by the office of U.S. Attorney Leura Canary,
whose husband Bill Canary had run the campaign of Siegelman’s opponent,
[Republican Governor] Gov. Riley." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Scott Pelley -60
Minutes -CBSNews
20071010
-
Karl
Rove
-
 Alberto
Gonzales - Alabama
- US
Attorneys - Criminal
- Politics
- "Rove
Linked to Alabama Case." ... "A Republican lawyer
claims she was told that Karl Rove — while serving as [Republican] President
Bush's top political adviser — had intervened in the Justice Department's
prosecution of Alabama's most prominent Democrat. Longtime Alabama G.O.P.
activist Dana Jill Simpson first made the allegation in June, but has now
provided new details in a lengthy sworn statement to the House Judiciary
Committee. The Committee is expected to hold public hearings on the Alabama
case next week as part of its investigation of possible political interference
by the Bush Administration in the activities of the Department of Justice."
... "Simpson said in June that she heard a close associate of Rove say
that the White House political adviser "had spoken with the Department
of Justice" about "pursuing" Don Siegelman, a former Democratic governor
of Alabama, with help from two of Alabama's U.S. attorneys. Siegelman was
later indicted on 32 counts of corruption, convicted on seven of them,
and is currently serving an 88-month sentence in Federal prison." ... "If
Simpson's version of events is accurate, it would show direct political
involvement by the White House in federal prosecutions — a charge leveled
by Administration critics in connection with the U.S. attorney scandal
that led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales." ...
"She [Simpson] recalls conversations in early 2005 with Rob Riley, Jr.,
son of Alabama's current Republican governor, over his father's coming
gubernatorial race, in which Siegelman appeared to be the top Democratic
challenger. The younger Riley, she says, told her that his father and Bill
Canary, the state's top Republican political operative and a longtime friend
of Rove, contacted Rove in late 2004, after which he intervened with the
Justice Department's Public Integrity section to push for criminal prosecution
of Siegelman." -By Adam Zagorin-TIME.com
20070601
-
Karl
Rove
- Alabama
- Political
- US
Attorneys - 2002
Election - "Rove
Linked to Prosecution of Ex-Alabama Governor." ...
"In the rough and tumble of Alabama politics, the scramble for power is
often a blood sport. At the moment, the state's former Democratic governor,
Don Siegelman, stands convicted of bribery and conspiracy charges and faces
a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Siegelman has long claimed that
his prosecution was driven by politically motivated, Republican-appointed
U.S. attorneys." ... "Now Karl Rove, the President's top political strategist,
has been implicated in the controversy. A longtime Republican lawyer in
Alabama swears she heard a top G.O.P. operative in the state say that Rove
"had spoken with the Department of Justice" about "pursuing" Siegelman,
with help from two of Alabama's U.S. attorneys." ... "The allegation was
made by Dana Jill Simpson, a lifelong Republican and lawyer who practices
in Alabama. She made the charges in a May 21 affidavit, obtained by TIME,
in which she describes a conference call on November 18, 2002, which involved
a group of senior aides to Bob Riley, who had just narrowly defeated Siegelman
in a bitterly contested election for governor. Though Republican Riley,
a former Congressman, initially found himself behind by several thousand
votes, he had pulled ahead at the last minute when disputed ballots were
tallied in his favor. After the abrupt vote turnaround, Siegelman sought
a recount. The Simpson affidavit says the conference call focused on how
the Riley campaign could get Siegelman to withdraw his challenge." ...
"According to Simpson's statement, William Canary, a senior G.O.P. political
operative and Riley adviser who was on the conference call, said "not to
worry about Don Siegelman" because "'his girls' would take care of" the
governor. Canary then made clear that "his girls" was a reference to his
wife, Leura Canary, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama,
and Alice Martin, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama."
-By Adam Zagorin
-TIME.com
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