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What the Justice Department is Hiding
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When a former Alabama governor was convicted for selling public offices, it set off an investigation into improper conduct at the Justice Department that leads directly to the White House.
The most dramatic political prosecution in the 21st century—involving a former governor in Alabama, the U.S. Attorney’s office, and the Bush White House and Justice Department—has been rocked by incriminating new disclosures by a knowledgeable career Justice Department staff member who has provided information charging serious misconduct by the prosecutors.
Among other disclosures shattering the credibility of the case, U.S. Attorney Leura Canary’s “recusal” for conflict of interest is revealed as a sham. Moreover, The Daily Beast has learned, the matter has touched off concerns within the Justice Department over efforts to sweep accusations of unethical conduct under the carpet.
It appears the Justice Department was aware of even more startling allegations of misconduct but it chose to hide this from the court and from opposing counsel.
With the Obama transition in full swing, the Justice Department is rushing to conclude a number of internal probes dealing with serious questions about the conduct of political appointees. One of the most troubling of these comes out of Montgomery, Alabama, where a U.S. Attorney with close ties to Karl Rove and her husband, then advising a Republican candidate for the Alabama statehouse, undertook one of the most audacious political prosecutions in recent history: knocking off the Democratic opponent, former Alabama Governor Don E. Siegelman.
Before his prosecution and conviction on federal charges, Siegelman was the most successful Democrat on Alabama’s political stage in the era after George C. Wallace. He was convicted more than two years ago on political corruption charges after a jury deliberated nine days and was initially deadlocked. Siegelman is now set to argue his appeal in Atlanta on December 9.
But even before the appeal is argued, the prosecution’s key evidence has been broadly attacked as unreliable and false and the prosecution itself has become the target of a Congressional probe and is the subject of demands for disciplinary action. Remarkably, however, the Bush Justice Department has reacted by covering-up the prosecutorial misconduct, which has connections that lead straight to the Bush White House.
Siegelman accepted a campaign donation from Richard Scrushy, a health care executive he appointed to a state oversight board. The U.S. Attorney, Leura Canary, argued this was tantamount to sale of a public office and brought charges. (By comparison, the Bush Justice Department never examined any of the 146 donors of $100,000 or more to the Bush-Cheney campaign who were later appointed by President Bush to federal sinecures—taking the view that this was “politics as usual.”)
Canary’s husband, William Canary, is Alabama’s leading Republican political consultant. At the time Canary launched the Siegelman case, he was advising one of Siegelman’s Republican adversaries for the governorship. He later came to advise then-Congressman Bob Riley, a Republican who defeated Siegelman in the closest gubernatorial contest in Alabama’s history.
After ethics complaints were brought to the Justice Department, Leura Canary was nominally removed from the case. But in a circumvention of normal Justice Department rules approved by Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis, she was allowed to pick one of her deputies to manage the case against Siegelman in her stead. Canary represented to Congress that she removed herself from the case “before any significant decisions” had been reached. Now internal communications have been disclosed within Canary’s own office calling into question these claims.
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This case is a disgrace, and a complete condemnation of the Bush Justice Department. Where is the outrage!
Each and every one of these crooks starting from Gonzales and Rove at the top to this abominable excuse of a public servant Leura Canary should be prosecuted and thrown in jail, each for the exact same length of sentence applied to Siegelman. Then Siegelman should sue each of these participants for every penny they own.
There are moments when I wish the practice of putting these embarrassments out in the public square to be spit upon by good citizens should be resuscitated. I'd personally like to give a couple of these jack*sses a good swift kick that they deserve.
I'm totally with Pupster. Where is the outrage? I've been studying this case for months and the deeper I get, the more repulsive it is.
I started out after the 60 Minutes piece poking around trying to discredit CBS for engaging in what I thought was surely media dramatic distortion. But instead my searching only reinforced CBS's story and then some - many times over - as the months passed. The whole thing is sickening.
How many pages will the Bush-Cheney "Pardon" be??? Maybe a blanket statement: "Everyone with an "R" following their name."?
This whole thing reeks of TREASON !
These "NEO-CONS" The new-conspirators that have replaced Communism with Fascism as the new #1 threat to our Democracy.
Treason trumps Presidential pardons in a time of "WAR"
Public Stoning? Daily Water boarding?
This criminal activity has been going on for as long as I can remember and I can't remember anyone convicted since Watergate. Both sides are so afraid that if they prosecute they'll open themselves up to the next round of charges when the outs get in. It's cowardice and it has never been more criminal than this administration. Unfortunately, under the guise of bipartisanship, these crimes will never be punished.
Pupster asks "Where is the outrage?"
I've followed this travesty for quite some time (a friend from the Oregon coast turned me on to it), and the answer is two-fold in it's simplest form.
#1 - Americans are, usually by choice, grossly ill-informed. By nature, perhaps, we choose to listen to what we want to hear and tend to be emotional about it.
#2 - The injustices of the Bush Administration are so pervasive and so encompassing, reaching into every area of government and personal life, one is hard-pressed to keep up with their crimes.
I have every confidence in Barack Obama, but he will be inheriting one of the biggest messes from a previous administratiton in our country's history, including WWII and Viet Nam, in my opinion.
George W. Bush has done so much damage to his country, yours and mine, I firmly believe he should be in prison.
Neo-Con mean lie, cheat and steal.
Because they have accepted the Lord, Jesus Christ, into their lives as their Savior...
And they have to lie, cheat and steal to make sure the Lord runs this country right!
DISGRACEFUL. So much for us being an admirable democratic, transparent and just country -- and role model for the rest of the world. It's increasingly clear that Rove masterminded illegal events and processes over the past 8 years. I hope the Dems find plenty on him and give him a "Go Directly to Jail" card ASAP. I also hope that Don Siegelman gets his chance to restore his good name. This case REEKS of politically-motivated wrong-doing.
These people shouldn't just be put in prison, load them up on one of those secret jets the CIA uses to transfer the so called terrorists and dump them in to downtown Tehran see how long they last. This new administration needs to take a long hard look at everyone involved on the bush team and start knocking off indictments, truly this is needed, restoration of confidence in your rule of law and the international scrutiny that has come about because of this kangaroo court system you have allowed to operate for the last 8 years. They maybe leaving public office and some say leave them be, they can't do any more damage. Well I would submit the damage is done, and by doing nothing will continue to damage the reputation of your country and leaders, 2 wrongs don't make anything right and the Bushies have committed so many wrongs only prison will send a clear message to the rest of the world we are sorry and serious about our freedom and rule of law.
Thank you.
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