JULY 17 2007
1. Forty-four former state attorneys general have asked Congress to
investigate whether politics at the Justice Department influenced the
prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on corruption
charges.
2. Siegelman Scandal Snowballs
3. Judiciary Department asks for Siegelman Documents
..............................................................................................................
Former AGs ask if politics influenced
Alabama case
by Ben Evans AP on CNN.com/Politics
Democrats have long maintained that his prosecution was politically motivated,
and recent allegations that White House officials were steering decisions at the
Justice Department have added weight to the claims.
"The only way to convince the public that the governor [Siegelman] is not the
victim of a politically motivated double-standard is for Congress to investigate all
aspects of the case thoroughly," the former attorneys general wrote to the
chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees.
The group is made up mostly of Democrats but includes a handful of
Republicans. It is led by Jeff Modisett, an Indiana Democrat; Bob Abrams, a New
York Democrat; Bob Stefan, a Kansas Republican; and Grant Woods, an Arizona
Republican.
Congressional Democrats already are investigating whether the White House
ordered the firings of several federal prosecutors last year for political reasons.
President Bush and Attorney GeneralAlberto Gonzales have denied wrongdoing,
maintaining that federal prosecutors are political appointees who can be fired by
the president for almost any reason.
<link to CNN for more>
............................................................................................................
Siegelman scandal snowballs
Staff Dothan Eagle
While former Gov. Don Siegelman sits in a jail cell in a low-security
federal prison, eating bologna sandwiches and spending an hour a
day in the exercise yard, what began as a small voice of protest
dismissed by prosecutors and key Montgomery politicos has grown
into a nationwide demand for a congressional investigation into the
prosecution and conviction of the Democratic politician.
<more at Dothan Eagle>
............................................................................................................
House Judiciary asks Justice Department for
Siegelman documents
by Ben Evans AP Huntsville Times
WASHINGTON -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers
asked the Justice Department Tuesday for documents involving its
prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.
Conyers, D-Mich., said in a press release that the committee is
"exploring claims that (Siegelman's) recent conviction, among others,
may have been a part of a pattern of selective, political prosecutions
by a number of U.S. Attorneys across the country."
Siegelman, a Democrat, was convicted last year of bribery and other
charges and recently began serving a seven-year prison sentence.
He has long maintained that his prosecution was politically motivated,
and recent allegations that White House officials were steering
decisions at the Justice Department have drawn new attention to the
claims.
Conyers' letter, signed by several other Democrats and sent to
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, also requests information on
corruption cases against Wisconsin state procurement official
Georgia Thompson and against Cyril Wecht, a Pennsylvania coroner.
The lawmakers asked for documents in which Justice officials
discussed whether charges should be brought, as well as
communications with the White House, members of Congress or
other political operatives.
<link to Huntsville Times for more>
............................................................................................................
Conyers, Judiciary Members Ask AG for
Documents, Information on Alabama's Siegelman
Case and Allegations of Other Selective
Prosecution
U.S House Judiciary Press Release
Contact: Jonathan Godfrey
Melanie Roussell
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Artur
Davis (D-AL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) sent a letter to Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales, asking him to provide documents and
information about several prominent prosecutions and convictions of
Democratic officials or operatives across the country. The committee
is exploring claims that former Alabama Democratic Governor Don
Siegelman's recent conviction, among others, may have been part of
a pattern of selective, political prosecutions by a number of U.S.
Attorneys across the country.
In the letter, the lawmakers cite the Siegelman case; the recently
overturned conviction of Wisconsin state official Georgia Thompson;
and the prosecution of Dr. Cyril Wecht, a coroner in Pennsylvania,
whose trial was set in October 2006, shortly before congressional
elections. The full text of the letter is below:
<link to source>
1. Forty-four former state attorneys general have asked Congress to
investigate whether politics at the Justice Department influenced the
prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on corruption
charges.
2. Siegelman Scandal Snowballs
3. Judiciary Department asks for Siegelman Documents
..............................................................................................................
Former AGs ask if politics influenced
Alabama case
by Ben Evans AP on CNN.com/Politics
Democrats have long maintained that his prosecution was politically motivated,
and recent allegations that White House officials were steering decisions at the
Justice Department have added weight to the claims.
"The only way to convince the public that the governor [Siegelman] is not the
victim of a politically motivated double-standard is for Congress to investigate all
aspects of the case thoroughly," the former attorneys general wrote to the
chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees.
The group is made up mostly of Democrats but includes a handful of
Republicans. It is led by Jeff Modisett, an Indiana Democrat; Bob Abrams, a New
York Democrat; Bob Stefan, a Kansas Republican; and Grant Woods, an Arizona
Republican.
Congressional Democrats already are investigating whether the White House
ordered the firings of several federal prosecutors last year for political reasons.
President Bush and Attorney GeneralAlberto Gonzales have denied wrongdoing,
maintaining that federal prosecutors are political appointees who can be fired by
the president for almost any reason.
<link to CNN for more>
............................................................................................................
Siegelman scandal snowballs
Staff Dothan Eagle
While former Gov. Don Siegelman sits in a jail cell in a low-security
federal prison, eating bologna sandwiches and spending an hour a
day in the exercise yard, what began as a small voice of protest
dismissed by prosecutors and key Montgomery politicos has grown
into a nationwide demand for a congressional investigation into the
prosecution and conviction of the Democratic politician.
<more at Dothan Eagle>
............................................................................................................
House Judiciary asks Justice Department for
Siegelman documents
by Ben Evans AP Huntsville Times
WASHINGTON -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers
asked the Justice Department Tuesday for documents involving its
prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.
Conyers, D-Mich., said in a press release that the committee is
"exploring claims that (Siegelman's) recent conviction, among others,
may have been a part of a pattern of selective, political prosecutions
by a number of U.S. Attorneys across the country."
Siegelman, a Democrat, was convicted last year of bribery and other
charges and recently began serving a seven-year prison sentence.
He has long maintained that his prosecution was politically motivated,
and recent allegations that White House officials were steering
decisions at the Justice Department have drawn new attention to the
claims.
Conyers' letter, signed by several other Democrats and sent to
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, also requests information on
corruption cases against Wisconsin state procurement official
Georgia Thompson and against Cyril Wecht, a Pennsylvania coroner.
The lawmakers asked for documents in which Justice officials
discussed whether charges should be brought, as well as
communications with the White House, members of Congress or
other political operatives.
<link to Huntsville Times for more>
............................................................................................................
Conyers, Judiciary Members Ask AG for
Documents, Information on Alabama's Siegelman
Case and Allegations of Other Selective
Prosecution
U.S House Judiciary Press Release
Contact: Jonathan Godfrey
Melanie Roussell
(Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Artur
Davis (D-AL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) sent a letter to Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales, asking him to provide documents and
information about several prominent prosecutions and convictions of
Democratic officials or operatives across the country. The committee
is exploring claims that former Alabama Democratic Governor Don
Siegelman's recent conviction, among others, may have been part of
a pattern of selective, political prosecutions by a number of U.S.
Attorneys across the country.
In the letter, the lawmakers cite the Siegelman case; the recently
overturned conviction of Wisconsin state official Georgia Thompson;
and the prosecution of Dr. Cyril Wecht, a coroner in Pennsylvania,
whose trial was set in October 2006, shortly before congressional
elections. The full text of the letter is below:
<link to source>
| __________________________________________________________________________________________ Sponsored by Friends of Don Siegelman 2007 <feedback> __________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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| Alabama Representative Artur Davis |
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