Former governor asks appeals court to throw out conviction

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman asked a federal appeals court Thursday to overturn his conviction in a government corruption case.

In an 84-page motion, Siegelman's attorneys asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to order the former Democratic governor acquitted of all charges or grant him a new trial.

Siegelman and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy were convicted in June 2006 of bribery and other charges. Scrushy is scheduled to file his appeal brief with the 11th Circuit by June 2.

Siegelman was accused of appointing Scrushy to a hospital regulatory board in exchange for Scrushy arranging $500,000 in donations to Siegelman's campaign for a lottery. During the trial, former Siegelman aide Nick Bailey testified that Siegelman and Scrushy met privately in the governor's office in the summer of 1999 and afterward the governor told him Scrushy wanted to be appointed to the Certificate of Need Review Board. Bailey said in exchange, Siegelman wanted a contribution to the lottery campaign.





Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-al-siegelmantrial-ap,0,4258907.story

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Rove Subpoenaed by House Panel Probing Alabama Case (Update2)

By James Rowley

May 22 (Bloomberg) -- A House subcommittee subpoenaed former White House aide Karl Rove to address allegations that partisan politics influenced the bribery prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama.

The panel subpoenaed Rove as it disclosed that the U.S. Justice Department was reviewing allegations that former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and defendants in two other corruption cases were victims of selective prosecution.

The cases include the 2006 prosecution of a Wisconsin state employee whose corruption conviction was overturned by an appeals court last year.

Rove, who was once President George W. Bush's top political adviser, was called to appear July 10 before a House Judiciary subcommittee investigating whether partisan politics motivated Siegelman's prosecution. Rove has rejected suggestions that politics played a part.

more:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2.rp0cgoqVE&refer=home

Alabama governor’s conviction gets Justice Department scrutiny
Thursday, May 22, 2008, 04:45 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The U.S. Justice Department says it is investigating whether former Alabama governor Don Siegelman was the target of a selective, politically motivated prosecution.

Click here to read the letter from the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, released this afternoon by House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.).

Most media outlets are focusing on the subpoena issued to Karl Rove, the former Bush advisor, by the House committee. But the Justice Department letter may be more important, an indication that Attorney General Michael Mukasey is taking seriously the allegations surrounding the Siegelman case.

more:http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/05/22/alabama_governors_conviction_g.html

[fascisthunter]

1. Me Thinks Rove Will One Day Take Don's Place in a Cell

[bagrman]

2. Me thinks one day his usefullness will come to an end with an axe-E-dent.

[rpannier]

5. That's probably closer to the truth

scrubbie will do a blanket pardon for him and then he will meet with an unfortunate accident:

You know. Like falling down 12 flights of stairs in a basement or committing suicide by shooting himself in the head 5 times.

[Pastiche423]

3. Methinks (hopes) Governor Don will be the one to finally

bring down rove.

[bluesmail]

4. He didn't waste time, time is so very important. Think of all

the damage they've done in 7 years, and all the more they are capable of in the next 6 months, I really can't stand to think about the consequences.:scared: :scared: