The Alabama Governor that Karl Rove sent to prison, and why it should matter to Oregonians.

Kari Chisholm FacebookTwitterWebsite

We've never covered Alabama politics here at BlueOregon before, but tonight I heard one of the most chilling stories I've heard in a long time. And it sheds some light on what happened in the Klamath River basin in Oregon in 2002.

On 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley reported on the indictment and conviction of Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. According to their reporting, Governor Siegelman - a Democrat - was targeted by Karl Rove and the Bush Administration's Justice Department because he was a Democrat in Alabama that couldn't be beat.

One of my silly little pastimes is assembling lists of potential presidential candidates 8 and 12 years out. A popular and articulate Democratic governor of Alabama? You bet. Siegelman was on my list.

So, what was he convicted of? Bribery. But the charge is so outrageous and the prosecution so politically motivated, says 60 Minutes, that 52 former state attorneys general across the country - of both parties - have asked Congress to investigate the Bush Administration's actions.

What was the "bribery" in this case? According to a Siegelman aide, who himself went to prison for extortion, Siegelman accepted a $250,000 campaign contribution to a ballot measure he was sponsoring - and in exchange put the donor on an important state board. As 60 Minutes notes, that's an astonishingly loose definition of "bribery". More than that, the story was too "vivid" to be true -- the check was cut days after the star witness said it had been. And the prosecution never turned over the interview notes that would have undermined the witness, as required by discovery rules.

The prosecutor? Leura Canary, a Bush-appointed US Attorney for Alabama, whose husband Bill Canary is a leading GOP political consultant in Alabama - and a "close associate" of Karl Rove.

Grant Woods, a former GOP Attorney General of Arizona who is among those asking Congress to investigate, told 60 Minutes:

"I haven't seen a case with this many red flags on it that pointed towards a real injustice being done. ... I personally believe that what happened here is that they targeted Don Siegelman because they could not beat him fair and square. This was a Republican state and he was the one Democrat they could never get rid of."

Outrageous.

This Alabama story puts a whole new light on the allegations that Karl Rove and Dick Cheney intervened to overrule Interior scientists and force water to be diverted from the Klamath River. That move helped Gordon Smith win his 2002 re-election campaign - though it caused tens of thousands of fish to die, and costing Oregon's fisheries industry over $60 million.

Here's to hoping that Oregon's media takes a fresh look at the 2002 Klamath fish-kill disaster - and investigates what role Gordon Smith, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney played. Any benefit of the doubt these people ever had is long gone - and it's simply pathetic that the major reporting to date has been by out-of-state media.

Here's the 60 Minutes video. It's about 12 minutes, and is absolutely worth watching:


  • (Show?)

    The most disturbing thing about this story is that it took this long to reach Kari Chisholm!

    Good summary, and great job pointing out the woeful lack of local coverage on the fish kill issue.

  • (Show?)

    (And yes, Kari, I know you have something much more important taking up your time these days.)

  • (Show?)

    Yeah, I'll cop to not paying very close attention to Alabama politics!

  • S. Bob (unverified)
    (Show?)

    "60 Minutes Done A Great Job"

    The Bush’s elete group of corrupt GOP’ers are scared to death that Don Siegelman may be on the streets before the election. Especially with Slick Bob so nervous that he is combing his hair and spraying his mouth and under arms every Five minutes for two reasons: He's hoping that the next president will be John McCain a republican and that he will asked to be his running mate. If a Democrat wins as the next president he/she will probally appoint new U.S. Attorneys in Alabama. Riley along with most of the top GOP operatives could get Federal charges filed against them for taking millions of dollars from Michael Scanlon and Jack Abramoff to defeat Siegelmans lottery campaign and for Riley's election campaigns.

  • (Show?)

    Well, it's been all over the blogs and Wikipedia for months...Thom Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, and Mike Malloy have been babbling about it for a while too...kind of surprising that it took this long to get to something like 60 minutes, but if it means people finally start to notice, I'm all for it.

    As far as I'm concerned, anything involving Karl Rove and U.S. Attorneys is national news, even international in implications. Not something I'd call mere Alabama politics!

  • (Show?)

    On a closer viewing of the 60 Minutes report, 4 things come to mind:

    • The significant thing here seems to be that 60 Minutes got Jill Simpson to give this pretty unequivocal testimony. She came out on the issue last summer, but seemed to soften her tone afterwards.
    • The 52 U.S. Attorneys criticizing the prosecution may be new too, I hadn't heard that before. The Republican U.S. Attorney they use as their main interview is pretty hard-hitting, too.
    • One thing I've heard several times, but that wasn't mentioned: Siegelman was reportedly moved rapidly from one prison to another, in a manner that prevented his family, attorneys, or the media from finding him. Not sure where that might be substantiated, but it sounds like a pretty major violation of civil rights.
    • Another little local connection, playing off the quote at the end of the clip: anybody remember who is the current Ambassador to sunny Malta, or what role she played for Bush's campaign?

  • Bill R. (unverified)
    (Show?)

    I recall some time back there was a report of a DOJ Inspector General investigation on this. Is this ongoing? Also... it's unfortunate that on the West Coast this was shown when the Academy Awards were playing. I'm assuming that ET and CT zones saw this. It looks to me like Mukasey is going to continue a cover-up on the DOJ scandal.

  • Larry McD (unverified)
    (Show?)

    I think it's worth noting that the ballot measure was for funding college scholarships. Neither Siegleman nor his allies stood to gain diddleysquat from it.

    Nothing that increases the average IQ of the populations of Southern states is going to be tolerated by this administration.

  • Lewis (unverified)
    (Show?)

    They do funny things down Alabama way. Maybe Rove and Siegelman are actually first cousins?

  • (Show?)

    Yes, I've been reading about this on national blogs for awhile. I'm glad to see coverage of it here at BlueO.

    It is just one of many illustrations of the effects of politicizing the US Attorney corps the way this administration has.

    As the report said, it is basically the same as someone raising a lot of money for a Presidential candidate and then being given a plum ambassadorship. That is to say, it is routine politics.

    It's astonishing that this kind of thing happens in 21st century America.

  • Admiral Naismith (unverified)
    (Show?)

    52 US attorneys?

    And these among the ones who have NOT been fired by the Bush League for failure to screen their cases through the "will this benefit Republicans" filter?

    The Siegelman prosecution was wrong. But it's only OFICIALLY wrong when the Republicans say so.

  • (Show?)

    Nothing that increases the average IQ of the populations of Southern states is going to be tolerated by this administration.

    Now that's a truism that I'd completely passed over......

    <hr/>

    Yeah, like Stephanie sez, I've been continually accosted with this story by my IndyMedia/Truthout buddies for months now.......Glad to see it out in the mainstream press at last.

    Also, giving the devil his due, Rove seems to be good at picking targets that are already in a gray area.....Not actual full out felons, but doing things that we sure wouldn't let pass unnoticed here in Oregon politics for example.

    In my opinion, this was why The Newt managed to get so much mileage out of the long anti-Clinton campaign.

    Ethically challenged petty offenders attacked by full out, constitution violating, raging criminals.

  • (Show?)

    A small but significant mistake, that's 52 state attorneys general, not U.S. attorneys. Grant Woods, the principal interview, is one of them, Republican AG of AZ 1991–1999.

    The other thing I hadn't caught about this story is the problems with star witness Nick Bailey: convicted of extortion, 10 years in prison, it took over 70 interviews with prosecutors for them to "get his story straight," they didn't share notes from that with defense.

  • Stacy6 (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Quoted at The Carpetbagger Report:

    I am now hearing from readers all across Northern Alabama—from Decatur to Huntsville and considerably on down—that a mysterious “service interruption” blocked the broadcast of only the Siegelman segment of 60 Minutes this evening. The broadcaster is Channel 19 WHNT, which serves Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee. This station was noteworthy for its hostility to Siegelman and support for his Republican adversary. The station ran a trailer stating “We apologize that you missed the first segment of 60 Minutes tonight featuring ‘The Prosecution of Don Siegelman.’ It was a techincal problem with CBS out of New York.” I contacted CBS News in New York and was told that “there is no delicate way to put this: the WHNT claim is not true. There were no transmission difficulties. The problems were peculiar to Channel 19, which had the signal and had functioning transmitters.” I was told that the decision to blacken screens across Northern Alabama “could only have been an editorial call.”

  • (Show?)

    For whatever it's worth, the WHNT web site said they'd be broadcasting the segment during their 10pm Sunday newscast.

  • (Show?)

    Ayup, and that station is owned by the Bass Brothers of Dallas-Fort Worth.

  • StopGordonSmith (unverified)
    (Show?)

    For more background on Gordon Smith's role in the Klamath fish kill and editorials calling on Smith to speak honestly about his involvement, click here.

  • naschkatze (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Pete Forsyth at 12:57 a.m. The man who was interviewed by 60 minutes, I believe his name is Grant Wood, is a Republican yes, but not a USA. He was the state's attorney for Arizona, and I believe the 52 others protesting the Siegelman injustice are not USAs either but various state's attorneys and others from both the Republican and Democratic parties. The USAs, you remember, "serve at the pleasure of the president" and can be fired for not doing so. I think they are silent on this case, but if anyone knows differently, please tell me. I am very interested because I think the next Democratic president needs to fire ALL current USAs. They are the most political "class" of USAs in our history, and the only good ones, those who set aside politics when they were sworn in as USAs, were the 9 who were fired by Bush.

  • (Show?)

    Nothing that increases the average IQ of the populations of Southern states is going to be tolerated by this administration.

    Now that's a truism that I'd completely passed over......

    As a Southerner with an IQ of 147 living in the state sitting 48th on the list in terms of post-secondary education investment, I'll not comment on casting stones.

    I've never understood the need to make blanket insults that usually result in people completely ignoring whatever else you might have had to say. No wonder the two sides of this state rarely seem to get on the same page.

  • BCM (unverified)
    (Show?)

    I can't help but equate the 'Department of Justice' with the Orwellian 'Ministry of Truth.' Over the past seven+ years their ranks of been filled with some of the most amoral political hacks this country has ever seen. And yet, in typical apathetic post-1960's American fashion, the populous is either unaware or so indifferent that they won't step in to stop this perversion of our judicial system.

    Here's the hit list:

    +Dismissal of US attorneys +Findings in support of water boarding +Findings in support of warrant-less wiretapping +Governor Siegelman prosecution +Findings against right to habeus corpus +Validity of AG Gonzales' testimony before congress

  • rural resident (unverified)
    (Show?)

    One of the outrageous elements here was the Siegelman was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles IMMEDIATELY upon sentencing, and whisked off to jail. No opportunity for an appeal, not even a short grace period before reporting to prison. Gee, I wonder what the GOP judge and his buddies were afraid of?

    Someone also made the observation that, if Siegelman could be convicted of bribery for this, then what about someone who makes large campaign contributions and then gets an ambassadorial post? Seems like there's a whole lot to investigate here. The Dems in Congress need to quit being so mousy about these kinds of things, and do some serious investigating. Now, not later.

  • (Show?)

    BCM: And people still have hope that democracy will continue to be a viable form of government in our country.

    I just filled out a survey on opb.org that, among other things, asked what issues are important to me in this election. It listed stuff like the economy, the Iraq war, health care.

    What the hell are people smoking? Where is the restoration of the Constitution in that list? Where is accountability for an administration that has shown nothing but contempt for constitutional law and the democratic process, even while supposedly supporting democracy in other countries?

    I'm utterly baffled by surveys like this. Another thread on here talked about Kucinich's failed candidacy as though it were a reflection of the will of the American people, ignoring the fact that local media excluded him from the Iowa debate on the most threadbare of technicalities, or that Clinton and Edwards were caught on tape discussing the need to exclude him, or that his H.R. 333 an 799 calling for the investigation and impeachment of Cheney have done nothing but pick up steam and attract agreement in the House since their introduction, despite a sustained campaign by the party "leadership" to dismiss his concerns, and despite the political dangers of opposing these nuts.

  • UUJeff (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Raw Story (rawstory.com)RawStory - Exclusive: Larisa Alexandrovna Back in Novembefrof '07 Larisa wrote the first of a three part series covering in detail, the Siegelman case. It is titled "The permanant Republican majority" It is very detailed and well research. It is hard to believe this could happen in our country. Then you think about how are government wants the right to hold indefinitely, any and all enemy combatants, U.S.citizens or not without the right to habius corpus - we have every reason to sit back and be paranoid; or we can act and support 60 Minutes for getting this story out and encourage them to do more. The White House tried to get the segmant pulled. It was blacked out in the major markets in Alabama. This could be THE Water Gate for this administration and those who have supported it. We need to keep this in the main stream media. I work with a number of attorneys that have told me that I had tro be nuts to believe this. No judge would do something so blatant ... Iam beginning to get the phone calls from these same attorneys and they are absolutely blown away by what has happened in Alabama.

    Keep pushing this one!

  • (Show?)

    Hmmm, an ambassadorship in a pleasant, sunny, stable country, in exchange for political servitude? No, that could never happen. Especially not here in Oregon!

  • Vixigoth (unverified)
    (Show?)

    quote from ~rural resident : Someone also made the observation that, if Siegelman could be convicted of bribery for this, then what about someone who makes large campaign contributions and then gets an ambassadorial post? Seems like there's a whole lot to investigate here.... ~end quote.

    ummm, yeah. isn't that called Court Precedent? if so, then it can be turned right around and used against those Other People (such as Republicans) who have done even more bribericious things. (that's legalese ya know).

  • dartagnan (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Question: When the hell are the Democrats going to put Karl Rove in jail?

  • riverat (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Seigelman lead off in handcuffs immediately upon conviction and moved from prison to prison. Sounds to me like they're trying to disappear him.

  • (Show?)

    Took a while to track this down, but here's the text of the letter the AG's sent to Congress. Looks like it was initially signed by 44 former AG's. Still seeking the full list of signers. This is from http://www.donsiegelman.net/files/LETTER_from_44.pdf

    July 13,2007

    To: Honorable John Conyers, Jr. Chairman, House Judiciary Committee 2426 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515

    Honorable Patrick J. Leahy Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee 433 Russell Senate Office Building United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

    Re: Petition in Support of Governor Siegelman

    We hereby submit the enclosed petition signed by 44 former state attorneys general urging the United States Congress to investigate the circumstances surrounding the investigation, prosecution, sentencing and detention of Don Siegelman, the former Governor of Alabama.

    As Chairs of the Judiciary Committee of the House and Senate, we urge you to incorporate the Siegelman case into your ongoing inquiry concerning potential inappropriate political interference in the offces of United States Attorneys.

    It is imperative to maintain the integrty of the justice system so as to ensure the public's confidence in its objectivity and independence.

    Sincerely yours, Jeffrey A. Modiselt Robert Stephan Robert Abrams Grant Woods (Jeffrey Modisett signing for himself and for Robert Abrams, Robert Stephan and Grant Woods with their permission)

  • (Show?)

    Oops, the full petition, with those original 44 signatures, was only a click away:

    Here it is.

  • Frances Marriott-Nash (unverified)
    (Show?)

    I wish to apologise to you for British rule of your proud and honourable county of Mobile during the 1700s. We limies had no right to stick our fingers in your pie. Bless you! Fran

    <hr/>

connect with blueoregon