 US
Attorneys
 Leura
Garrett Canary
 Karl
Rove
 2002
Election
|
 Donald
Eugene "Don" Siegelman
DON SIEGELMAN News:
20080710
 Karl
Rove - Don
Siegelman - US
Attorney -  Politics
-  Investigation
-  Alabama
-  California
"Rove,
Defying Subpoena, Doesn't Appear at Hearing (Update2)."
... "Former [Republican President Bush] White House political director
Karl Rove, defying a subpoena, failed to appear before a [United States]
U.S. House panel investigating whether the Justice Department prosecuted
people for political reasons." ... "Rove's action today prompted the House
Judiciary subcommittee to rule that his reasons for skipping the appearance
weren't legally valid, a first step toward a possible contempt of Congress
vote." ... "The panel is trying to determine whether Rove influenced the
Justice Department's decision to bring a corruption case against former
Alabama [Democratic] Governor Don Siegelman, a Democrat. Rove has rejected
the claim and said he would speak with the committee only in private, not
under oath and without a transcript. He also proposed answering questions
in writing." ... "[California Democratic Representative Linda] Sanchez
noted that Rove's offer was limited to discussing the Siegelman case. The
panel also wants to question him about other topics, including the 2006
firing of nine U.S. attorneys, she said." ... "The Justice Department's
ethics office also is probing whether Siegelman was the victim of selective
prosecution. " -By Robert Schmidt
-Bloomberg
20080329
-
Don
Siegelman - Karl
Rove
- Leura
Garrett Canary
- Alabama
- US
Attorney - Politics
- Investigation
- 2002
Election -
 La
-  Federal
- Prison
- "Freed
Ex-Governor of Alabama Talks of Abuse of Power."
... "Former [Democratic Governor] Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, released
from prison Friday on bond in a bribery and corruption case, said he was
as convinced as ever that politics had played a leading role in his prosecution."
... "Speaking by telephone in his first post-prison interview, shortly
after he had left the federal penitentiary at Oakdale, La. [Louisiana],
Mr. Siegelman said there had been “abuse of power” in his case, and repeatedly
cited Karl Rove, the former [Republican President Bush] White House political
director." ... "“His fingerprints are smeared all over the case,” Mr. Siegelman
said, a day after a federal appeals court ordered him released on bond
and said there were legitimate questions about his case. He was sentenced
to serve seven years last June after a guilty verdict on bribery and corruption
charges a year earlier." ... "The investigation, trial and conviction of
Mr. Siegelman, a veteran politician, has become a flash point for broader
Democratic contentions that politics has influenced decisions by the Justice
Department under [Republican] President Bush, including the firings of
several United States attorneys, and other federal prosecutions besides
Mr. Siegelman’s." ... "In a sworn statement, a Republican lawyer and political
operative, Jill Simpson, told of hearing one of Mr. Rove’s allies here,
William Canary, discussing Mr. Siegelman during the 2002 governor’s race,
and saying “that he had already gotten it worked out with Karl and Karl
had spoken with the Department of Justice and the Department of Justice
was already pursuing Don Siegelman.” The United States attorney here, Leura
G. Canary, is married to Mr. Canary." -By Adam
Nossiter -NYTimes
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
20071004
-
 Jeff
Sessions
- Karl
Rove
- Ala
- US
Attorneys - Money
- Political
- Enforcement
- "Selective
Justice in Alabama?" ... "On may 8, 2002, Clayton
Lamar (Lanny) Young Jr., a lobbyist and landfill developer described by
acquaintances as a hard-drinking "good ole boy," was in an expansive mood.
In the downtown offices of the U.S. Attorney in Montgomery, Ala. [Alabama],
Young settled into his chair, personal lawyer at his side, and proceeded
to tell a group of seasoned prosecutors and investigators that he had paid
tens of thousands of dollars in apparently illegal campaign contributions
to some of the biggest names in Alabama Republican politics. According
to Young, among the recipients of his largesse were the state's former
attorney general [Alabama Republican Senator] Jeff Sessions, now a U.S.
Senator, and [Republican] William Pryor Jr., Sessions' successor as attorney
general and now a federal judge. Young, whose detailed statements are described
in documents obtained by TIME, became a key witness in a major case in
Alabama that brought down a high-profile politician and landed him in federal
prison with an 88-month sentence. As it happened, however, that official
was the top Democrat named by Young in a series of interviews, and none
of the Republicans whose campaigns he fingered were investigated in the
case, let alone prosecuted." ... "The case of Don Siegelman, the Democratic
former Governor of Alabama who was convicted last year on corruption charges,
has become a flash point in the debate over the politicization of the [Republican
President] Bush Administration's Justice Department. Forty-four former
state attorneys general — Republicans and Democrats — have cited "irregularities"
in the investigation and prosecution, saying they "call into question the
basic fairness that is the linchpin of our system of justice."" ... "[Republican]
Leura Canary, the U.S. Attorney whose office drove Siegelman's prosecution,
is married to Bill Canary, Alabama's most prominent political operative
and a longtime friend of [Republican] Karl Rove's. In May an Alabama lawyer
and Republican activist named Dana Jill Simpson gave a notarized statement
that she heard Canary say Rove "had spoken with the Department of Justice"
about "pursuing" Siegelman, with help from two of Alabama's U.S. Attorneys."
... "Young testified that he had furnished Siegelman with an all-terrain
vehicle and a motorcycle, lavishing money on the Governor and his aides.
But he was an equal-opportunity influence monger. Early in the investigation,
in November 2001, Young announced that five years earlier, he "personally
provided Sessions with cash campaign contributions," according to an FBI
memo of the interview. Prosecutors didn't follow up that surprising statement
with questions, but Young volunteered more. The memo adds that "on one
occasion he [Young] provided Session [sic] with $5,000 to $7,000 using
two intermediaries," one of whom held a senior position with Sessions'
campaign. On another occasion, the FBI records show, Young talked about
providing "$10,000 to $15,000 to Session [sic]. Young had his secretaries
and friends write checks to the Sessions campaign and Young reimbursed
the secretaries and friends for their contributions."" ... "If true, Young's
statements describe political money laundering that would be a clear violation
of federal law. In 1996, when Young said he had made the contributions,
it was illegal to give a candidate more than $1,000 for a primary or general
campaign." (1, 2,
3)
-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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