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OCTOBER 31 2007
1. Prosecutor: No political push in Siegelman case
2. Siegelman Key to Reigning Rove
..............................................................................................................
Prosecutor: No political push in Siegelman
case
By Brett Blackledge of Birmingham News
"When I retired in January 2003, it was my judgment there wasn't
sufficient evidence to seek an indictment against Governor
Siegelman," [Charles] Niven said.
Niven left the investigation five months before Bailey and Young
entered guilty pleas and agreements to cooperate with prosecutors.
Franklin said last week that, when he and Feaga took over the case
in March 2004, Bailey and Young had offered prosecutors significant
evidence that had not been fully investigated. Franklin said he set up
a special grand jury at Feaga's urging in the summer of 2004 to
consider the evidence, much of it implicating Siegelman and others.
Niven said it would be reasonable that prosecutors handling the case
after he retired would have acquired other evidence. "I know that
things change and different evidence comes up," he said.
<link to source>
..............................................................................................................
Siegelman Key to Reining Rove?
by Scott Horton of Pacific Free Press Canada
From the first emergence of allegations that the Siegelman
prosecution was politically motivated, the Bush Administration has
rested its defense on a single straw: that the case was brought and
carried forward by career prosecutors.
That contention has now been dealt a fatal blow by the man who
raised it....
John W. Scott, a senior Justice Department trial lawyer who had been
helping with the case at the request of Montgomery prosecutors,
disagreed with the move to extend the investigation, Franklin said.
“We had to make a decision about whether or not a grand jury would
help us in putting the case together, investigating further. It was not a
popular decision, but I made it,” Franklin said. “John didn’t want to do
that, so when he left Montgomery he didn’t come back…”
....other senior prosecutors working on the case, in addition to Scott,
felt strongly that it was wrong to pursue the case. “This was the
consensus view of the professional staff,” said one, “we could feel
that Canary was fighting it, and later Franklin.”
<link to source>
1. Prosecutor: No political push in Siegelman case
2. Siegelman Key to Reigning Rove
..............................................................................................................
Prosecutor: No political push in Siegelman
case
By Brett Blackledge of Birmingham News
"When I retired in January 2003, it was my judgment there wasn't
sufficient evidence to seek an indictment against Governor
Siegelman," [Charles] Niven said.
Niven left the investigation five months before Bailey and Young
entered guilty pleas and agreements to cooperate with prosecutors.
Franklin said last week that, when he and Feaga took over the case
in March 2004, Bailey and Young had offered prosecutors significant
evidence that had not been fully investigated. Franklin said he set up
a special grand jury at Feaga's urging in the summer of 2004 to
consider the evidence, much of it implicating Siegelman and others.
Niven said it would be reasonable that prosecutors handling the case
after he retired would have acquired other evidence. "I know that
things change and different evidence comes up," he said.
<link to source>
..............................................................................................................
Siegelman Key to Reining Rove?
by Scott Horton of Pacific Free Press Canada
From the first emergence of allegations that the Siegelman
prosecution was politically motivated, the Bush Administration has
rested its defense on a single straw: that the case was brought and
carried forward by career prosecutors.
That contention has now been dealt a fatal blow by the man who
raised it....
John W. Scott, a senior Justice Department trial lawyer who had been
helping with the case at the request of Montgomery prosecutors,
disagreed with the move to extend the investigation, Franklin said.
“We had to make a decision about whether or not a grand jury would
help us in putting the case together, investigating further. It was not a
popular decision, but I made it,” Franklin said. “John didn’t want to do
that, so when he left Montgomery he didn’t come back…”
....other senior prosecutors working on the case, in addition to Scott,
felt strongly that it was wrong to pursue the case. “This was the
consensus view of the professional staff,” said one, “we could feel
that Canary was fighting it, and later Franklin.”
<link to source>
.........................................................................
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| photo: Huffington Press Franklin said he set up a grand jury hearing at Feaga's urging, not Washington's. |
| photo: WSFA News Franklin revealed that Senior Prosecutor Scott believed that there was not enough evidence to convict Siegelman. |
| photo: video freeze from FTR interview Leura Canary appears to have directed the prosecution of Siegelman through her assistant Franklin, despite her claims that she recused herself from the case. |