Lawyer With Strong Ties to GOP Turns Up Dead at Construction Site -(Alabama/Canary)

[annabanana]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Lawyer-With-Strong-Ties-to-by-Roger-Shuler-120216-162.html

An Alabama lawyer with roundabout connections to our Legal Schnauzer story was found dead at a Shelby County construction site late yesterday morning.
The body of Chace William Swatek, 35, was found behind a stack of metal pipes near the Shelby County Services Building in Pelham. Law-enforcement officials say the cause of death is not known, but they do not suspect foul play.

Swatek had powerful family ties to the Alabama Republican Party. His older brother, Dax, is head of the lobbying/consulting firm Swatek Azbell Howe & Ross. Dax Swatek was 2006 campaign manager for former GOP Governor Bob Riley--he of the ties to GOP felons Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon--and is a protege of Bill Canary, president of the Business Council of Alabama. Canary, of course, is the husband of Leura Canary, Bush-era prosecutor in the Don Siegelman case and instigator of the federal bingo prosecution, which is being retried at this moment in Montgomery. Dax Swatek also played a prominent early role in the bingo fiasco. (More on that in a moment.)

For good measure, Chace's sister is actress Barrett Swatek, an outspoken conservative (despite her less than "family values" lifestyle) who seems to be a serious bud of Sean Hannity.

Catalogue of Alabama sleaze in the age of Rove

[groundloop]

1. Hmmmm.... "don't suspect foul play"

Yet I'm sure it's perfectly normal for a lawyer to turn up dead behind a stack of pipes at a construction site.

[gratuitous]

2. Especially 35-year-old lawyers

Nothing unusual here, nosiree! File this in the stack of unsuspicious deaths along with that colored fella who stole more chains than he could swim away with and the other fella who accidentally fell backwards on a butcher knife 12 times.

[Hubert Flottz]

15. I think a lot of the younger GOP lawyers get runned over

out there...Chasing ambulances!

[Voice for Peace]

3. seriously.. sounds a little fishy

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I'm pretty sure Alabama doesn't have dingo, so we can rule that out.

Maybe a giant possum killed him?

[roguevalley]

11. one pug down and .... to go ... Yes, I am going to hell.

[Octafish]

5. Ms. Canary was still U.S. Attorney to midnight May 31, 2011.

Last edited Fri Feb 17, 2012, 10:32 AM - Edit history (1)

A little jail bird named Scrushy told me so.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/alm/press/2011/2011_05_27_canary.html

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. Apparently her retirement date had to do with collecting a pension.

"She's stepping down after 30 years with the DOJ, almost 2 and a half years after Barack Obama took office and after opposition and obstruction from Alabama's GOP Senators to any person the Obama administration suggested to replace her. Year after year, Canary stayed in office and racked up years of service toward her retirement as a government employee.
Having 30 years of creditable service is the difference between being able to draw the full retirement benefit starting at age 56 and having to wait until age 60, or start at age 56 but take a 30% reduction in the annuity."

http://www.leftinalabama.com/diary/8243/leura-canary-its-so-nice-to-have-friends-in-high-places

[Octafish]

27. Thanks, dixiegrrrrl! I wish my employers had been so considerate.

It's a case of who gets the gold and who gets the shaft.

As for the Greedy Old Persecutor: Typical puke. Takes all she can, as quick as she can, for as long as she can. Justice and Hypocrisy? Whatever. It's OK for her to feed off the government teet, but for anyone else who's not connected, it's the poorhouse or jail, depending on the level of penury.

Regarding hanging on because the Alabama GOP wouldn't approve a successor: Ms. Canary should've been fired at noon on Jan. 20, 2009 and someone without ties to Karl Rove appointed immediately, even if only temporarily.

Did Ashcroft, Gonzalez or any Attorney General from that side ever keep on any Democratic U.S. Attorney for any reason? Heck, they even fired Republicans who wouldn't go along.

PS: I know you know that, Dixie. It's just that, for some reason, most of America doesn't know it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

31. It gets better..

She has been hired to work in the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA).which has a huge pot of money just waiting to be stolen.

http://my.firedoglake.com/rogershuler/2011/10/13/notorious-siegelman-prosecutor-has-lined-up-a-curious-new-job/

[RKP5637]

6. This story line reads so strangely. Yet another WTF moment. n/t

[liberal N proud]

7. Swatek meet Hoffa

they do not suspect foul play? WOW!

[Richardo]

10. Maybe he was hit-and-run by Michael Berry.

The police aren't investigating that one, either.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

8. off-topic, but do Republicans intentionally name their kids to sound like assholes?

Chace? Dax? Did the name Biff become passe in these circles?

[Richardo]

9. My thought exactly: "Chace"? "Dax"? "Barrett"?

WTF to the max.

[Dont call me Shirley]

18. "Rush"

[sce56]

16. It is Alabama those would be normal names for the area.

[yellowcanine]

13. Hmm. 35 year old lawyer with lots of enemies turns up dead at a construction site.

Oh No, nothing to see here....no foul play.....move along folks....nothing to see ......go on home now. Shit, what does it take to "suspect foul play" in that town - a stiff bound and gagged and hoisted up feet first with a shiv sticking between his ribs?

[annabanana]

14. he slipped and fell fer sure. . . .n/t

[yellowcanine]

19. Maybe ran right into the pile of pipes head first.

People do that kind of thing all the time at construction sites. Particularly lawyers with lots of enemies.

[xtraxritical]

21. The County Medical Examiner is obviously a Republican good 'ol boy too. eom.

[lunatica]

29. That would be so obviously a suicide that to question it is idiotic

LOL!

[yellowcanine]

30. It was a clear case of a suicider trying to frame someone for murder!

Tying his hands behind his back after stabbing himself while hanging from his ankles was the hard part.

[Captain Lee]

17. Stop with conspiracies - simple drug overdose

Simple drug overdose. Funeral is Friday. May have to go myself.

Not every death, accident, or small plane crash is the result of nefarious powers or vast conspiracies.

[Ikonoklast]

20. Did the deceased have a history of drug abuse?

[Captain Lee]

22. Sadly, yes

For a few years.

[sofa king]

32. Did he have a history of drug abuse at deserted construction sites?

Or was he dumped there?

[EFerrari]

33. In that part of the world, the chances of "being a result" of Republican felons

is pretty good.

[janet118]

23. Were there skid marks? . . . just wondering n/t

[Lithos]

24. Reminds me of an old joke

What's the difference between a dead snake in the road and a dead lawyer?

There are skidmarks in front of the snake.

[PufPuf23]

25. GOP stink and corruption lies (pun) deep in multi-generation Alabama politics nt

http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2011/04/republican-henchmen-get-their-grimy.html

Everything from Rove to GWB to Drummond Coal to Habart Construction to Thyseen Steel to Natalee Holloway goes missing.

Five neo-con website, 4 linked, showed up almost immediately

[Lee11]

26. It isn't a construction site really. Its a stack of pipes

On the side of the road. They have been laying pipe along the road. There is no other construction going on where this happened. It still is odd but maybe there is a reason he was there.

[lunatica]

28. Ignore the cement shoes

Nothing to see here. Move on...