On 9.11.2012, with New Orleans in the background, Don said good-bye to his wife and children (daughter pictured) before entering prison in Louisiana. Don Siegelman is the former governor of Alabama who was railroaded by friends of the Rove-led justice department at the time… and whose unjust hounding, prosecution, and imprisonment is a living proof that any of us can be subjected to arbitrary federal power—not solely thru Homeland Security, the NSA, the CIA, the TSA, or (via the NDAA 2012) indefinite detention, torture, and murder without trial (and without notice) at the king’s pleasure (or any of the king’s men). Lend the good governor a hand if you possibly can. — ed.
In Eleven weeks, The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has tentatively scheduled oral arguments for July 28 concerning new evidence in the Siegelman case. A favorable ruling would allow Siegelman a new trial, which Judge Fuller’s ruling had denied him. Siegelman says that he is innocent and that his prosecution was politically motivated. A new trial would allow him to clear his name.
Along with the new evidence, former Governor Siegelman has new representation. Greg Craig, a lawyer working in DC, has a history of taking on challenging cases for some of the most (and least) powerful in national politics. He has worked closely with the White House, being counsel to the President in 2 administrations and working intimately with power players in Washington, on both sides of the aisle.
While Craig will join Siegelman’s legal team, one of his lawyers will be leaving the team. Siegelman’s retiring lawyer, Sissman, said he had planned to show that former U.S. Attorney Leura Canary remained secretly involved in Siegelman’s case despite her public recusal. Canary’s husband at the time, William Canary, had worked as a Republican political consultant to Bob Riley, Don’s opponent for the Governor’s race. Siegelman’s lawyers have argued that Leura Canary had a conflict of interest. Previous courts have rejected that argument.
Siegelman was convicted in 2006 on charges largely related to donations made by Richard Scrushy to Siegelman’s 1999 education lottery campaign. Concerning the prosecution of both these men, Siegelman has consistently – some say relentlessly – maintained, was motivated by politics, not justice. He is currently incarcerated in Louisiana till 2017. Richard Scrushy, who was accused of bribing Siegelman when he wrote two $250,000 checks to the Education Lottery Fund, has served his sentence and also continues to maintain his innocence.
For further reading Al.com, and Fox Business News wrote articles about the upcoming case.
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