Siegelman attorney asks Holder to intervene

[kpete]

Source: Salon

Siegelman attorney asks Holder to intervene
By BOB JOHNSON Associated Press Writer

Apr 3rd, 2009 | MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The chief attorney for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman is urging U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to ask a federal judge to throw out Siegelman's corruption conviction.

Attorney Vince Kilborn mailed a four-page letter to Holder on Friday, saying Siegelman's prosecution was filled with misconduct.

Kilborn says he wants Holder to treat Siegelman's case like he did the case of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. Holder on Wednesday asked a judge to toss out Stevens' corruption conviction because prosecutors withheld evidence from his defense team during the trial.

Siegelman, a Democrat, and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy were convicted in 2006 of bribery and corruption charges.


Read more: http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/us/2009/04/03/D97B9LT00_siegelman_trial_holder/index.html

[Cha]

1. Rec'd~ I hope this is

possible to happen!

[L. Coyote]

17. A Surprise Recusal and Promising Result in Paul Minor Appeal Hearing by Brendan DeMelle

Another political case likely under review now, Paul Minor:

Surprise Recusal and Promising Result in Paul Minor Appeal Hearing
by Brendan DeMelle - http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Surprise-Recusal-and-Pro-by-Brendan-DeMelle-090402-249.html

End of the day, pardons!

[bertman]

48. Thanks for posting that tidbit, L. Coyote. That is very good news.

[madfloridian]

2. Siegelman should not have to beg.

It shows Rove still has power and media credibility.

[EFerrari]

22. Exactly. That slime Stevens gets off and Don has to BEG?

:wtf:

[polmaven]

35. To be fair,

Do we know that Stevens' lawyers DIDN'T ask AG Holder to review the case? I am under the impression that cases are reviewed the the United States Attorney General when he is requested to do so, not automatically.

I am sure Holder will review the case now that he has been asked to do so. A petition to review by a defense attorney is not BEGGING. It is PROTOCOL.

[Dinger]

36. Damn Right! Why No Action NOW!

Yesterday in fact! No sarcasm here; what's the fucking hold up????

[Ernest Partridge]

55. Can Holder or Obama intervene with Siegelman case?

My guess (and it's only that) is that the Stevens trial was a federal case, and the Siegleman trial was a state case. Thus the AG Holder can't intervene. Likewise, Obama can't pardon.

I hope I'm wrong, and that Holder and/or Obama will do the right thing.

Any lawyers out there who can help me with this?

Ernest Partridge

[madfloridian]

65. It was a problem stemming from the DOJ

under the Bush administration.

Rove is implicated and supposed to be testifying, but only when he gets time out from his WSJ and Newsweek and FOX media jobs.

Sorry, no excuses on this one.

[ralps]

3. Yay!! I hope that happens

:hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: :woohoo:

[Patchuli]

8. I love the kitty ani's!!!

I wish I could do that...

[slipslidingaway]

4. knr n/t

[Pastiche423]

5. It will be very telling

whether or not Holder does.

[Mithreal]

9. Definitely agree. nt

[stlsaxman]

11. Yup.

[iamthebandfanman]

15. yup, since he proclaimed 'principle'

as the reasoning behind dismissing the other cases charges.

[City Lights]

33. Indeed.

We're watching and waiting...

[cascadiance]

6. Perhaps we should also ask Sarah Palin if Don Siegelman should get a "do-over" too!

And ask why not if she says no. Is it because only Republicans should get "doovers"?

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/03/Palin-state-GOP-want-election-do-over/UPI-46121238801560/

[tritsofme]

12. You really think Sarah Palin knows who Don Siegelman is?

Way up there in Alaska?

I think you're deluding yourself.

[cascadiance]

14. All the more reason to trap her with such a question!

Would serve her well to have to answer it if she's running for re-election any time soon!

[AlbertCat]

32. You really think Sarah Palin knows who Don Siegelman is?

Why not....after all Sarah reads ALL the magazines and newspapers!

[MADem]

44. She'd better. They've both spent time in the "governor's club" after all.

She came in a few years after he left his job, but still, you don't think she "noticed" when someone in her peer group got sent to jail? You don't think it was a topic of gossipy conversation at those governors' meetings that are held periodically?

Come on. She's no Rhodes Scholar, but she's sufficiently politically aware to pay attention to what's happening in her own sphere of influence.

[tritsofme]

59. I would have said the same thing, until I saw her in action last year.

Between those interviews and the debates, I think she really is as stupid as her worst critic makes her out to be.

[bleever]

7. K&R!

Make it so, AG Holder.

[stillcool]

10. timing is everything..

and the timing for this could not be better.

[stlsaxman]

13. that would rock! anyway it's only right.

[ro1942]

16. senate

stevens got a standing ovation from his peers after his conviction, i'm sure he's got dirt on them. they are just protecting the status quo. dems. repukes. and corp. america.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Proletariatprincess]

19. I believe that Stevens was just the first.

Holder did say he was reviewing Justice Department policies and practices under the previous administration...perhaps there is a list of cases where prosecutorial misconduct is at play and the fact that Stevens case was the first to be overturned was a political decision and just preparing the way for the Siegelman case. And, there may be many others. The Bush Justice Department was an Orwellian misnomer.

[L. Coyote]

20. Bush Justice remains an oxymoran.

The Rs are obstructing Obama's OLC nominee.

[XXXMADAM]

24. Bush's Justice Dept. relocating....

April 3, 2009
ODNI(Nat'l Intelligence) APPOINTS NEW INSPECTOR GENERAL
Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair has appointed Ms. Roslyn A. Mazer, a Justice Department Official, as Inspector General (IG) of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Since 2002, Ms. Mazer has served as Investigative Counsel in the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, where she has led teams of attorneys, inspectors, and auditors in conducting complex review of the FBI’s compliance with Attorney General Guidelines, congressionally-mandated review of National Security Letter authorities, and allegations of misconduct by Department personnel. She has served in the Department of Justice for more than 14 years, including as Associate Deputy Attorney General. Prior to her federal service, Ms. Mazer was in private practice.

http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20090403_release.pdf

Yesterday, April 2, 2009:

REPORT BLASTS THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

<<The I.G. 'blaster'/whistleblower is replaced. New IG worked for BushCo's Just-Us Dept. ran by Albert Gonzales>> xxx

[No Elephants]

30. I'm confused. If she's been in D of J over 14 years, wouldn't that make her a Clinton appointee?

[MADem]

46. She also worked for Clinton. She's a career civil servant.

If you do the math based on her resume, it looks like she was a CLINTON appointee.

She has served in the Department of Justice for more than 14 years, including as Associate Deputy Attorney General. Prior to her federal service, Ms. Mazer was in private practice.


Pesky, pesky facts!

[XXXMADAM]

58. Thank you for the clarification

Relief! Glad to hear she's from the Clinton era. This investigative Intelligence agency needs to be watched closely now that Obama is in and so many changes coming (albeit too slow for me). Contacting military I.G.'s might be more helpful for now than beating the dead horses in Congress.

Office of the Director of National Intelligence - 703-733-8600
*Edward Maguire* oops, ousted for blasting, replaced by Ms. Roslyn A. Mazer (above).
Inspector General
Washington, DC 20511
http://www.dni.gov /


Department of Defense - Pentagon switchboard 703-545-6700
Gordon S. Heddell
Acting Inspector General
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington DC 20301-1400
www.Defenselink.mil


National Security Agency Public Affairs: 301-688-6524
George Ellard
Inspector General
9800 Savage Rd.
Ft. Meade, Maryland 20755
http://www.nsa.gov /


Central Intelligence Agency - main: 703-482-0623
John L. Helgerson
Inspector General
Washington DC 20515
www.cia.gov


U.S. Department of Justice
Glenn Fine - useless
Inspector General
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

[XXXMADAM]

66. Ms. Roslyn Mazer

Found more info, she sounds Hopeful and impressive actually..... xxx

Full article: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2009/04/mazer_odni_ig.html

Article excerpts:

...from 1996 to 2000 Ms. Mazer was the first chair of the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP), which is among the most successful classification reform initiatives of the last half century. At a time when agency Inspectors General may be asked to assume greater oversight over classification policy, she brings an exceptional depth of knowledge and experience to the subject.

...Under Ms. Mazer’s leadership from 1996 to 2000, the ISCAP declassified information in an astounding 80% of the documents that were presented for its review.

...In fact, Ms. Mazer’s ISCAP was so successful in overturning spurious classification claims that the Central Intelligence Agency begged for relief from ISCAP jurisdiction.

...Ms. Mazer will succeed Edward Maguire, the outgoing ODNI Inspector General who presented his own critique of the ODNI in testimony before a hearing (pdf) of Rep. Anna Eshoo’s House Intelligence subcommittee last week (“IG Report Blasts the Director of National Intelligence,” Secrecy News, April 2, 2009).

[Hekate]

21. Got my fingers crossed

:kick: for justice

[pnwmom]

23. I think this attorney is getting ready to claim some of the credit

when Holder does what he was about to do anyway -- having defused the reaction by first tossing out the Stevens case.

[L. Coyote]

38. It was apparently in process as soon as Stevens was announced, however

that remains conjecture from broad statements.

The lead attorney likely acts on Siegelman's instructions,
and a request in writing is an official act that creates
a minimal expectation of response to the issue.

[Bluenorthwest]

39. The attorney is Seiglman's lawyer

and as such this is his job. If Seiglman gets freed, his attornies deserve the credit, they have been defending him for ages now. Until Holder acts, this is the only thing this attorney could or should be doing. He can not afford to rest on assumptions of the future actions of the DOJ.

[Enthusiast]

25. I'm waiting to see. nt

[The Wizard]

26. The root of the problem

is Ku Klux Karl Rove. The sooner the U.S. Attorney issue is exposed the better. It's not only about those who were fired for not engaging in political prosecutions at Rove's bidding, it's more about those who kept their jobs like Chris Christie who started a bogus investigation into Senator Robert Menendez just prior to his election for Senate. Christie is now poised to run for governor of New Jersey as a reward for malicious prosecution of New Jersey Democrats. And in the Menendez case he violated Justice Department guidelines in regard to launching investigations of candidates 60 days prior to an election.
The criminal Rove must be prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated before the Justice Department can do the people's work as opposed to working for political scoundrels.

[OakCliffDem]

27. K and R'ed

[OakCliffDem]

28. This stinks of a deal cut with the Bush Administration to dish out pardons.

If Attorney General Holder is handing out what equates to Bush pardons after the little chimp has left office, what benefit does Bush get from this. I smell a deal cut to preclude prosecution of Bush Administration people in exchange for pardons not granted upon his exit. Rove and Cheney are probably giving themselves high fives right now.

[tbyg52]

29. The way I heard it,

the prosecution was so inept that an honest person would have no choice but to do what he did. I take it as the *Bush* administration set it up. (Not that I have all the details, so my current opinion is subject to revision.)

I can't believe they addressed this before Seigelman, though.

[L. Coyote]

40. This is a response required in a criminal prosecution sentencing a US Senator

for his conviction on seven felony counts related to
hiding illegal quid pro quo gifts from corrupt businessmen
whose interests he represented in government.

Needless to say, this is not a minor matter easily ignored,
especially when the court schedule is a matter of rights,
and a motion for a retrial is pending and must be dealt with.
This matter had to be attended to now on the court's schedule!

Rove and Cheney should be sweating right now
along with every high official in the Bush Junta,
especially those who knew it was a Junta beforehand.
Torture and murder have no statute of limitations.

Stealing a state governor's election and locking up
a state's Democratic political leader is small worries
relative to the crimes they are really worried about.
Torture and murder have no statute of limitations.

Siegleman's case may be a weak point in the conspiracy
because a low-level operative bailed out and testified.
Why the considerable effort to disassociate from the Junta?
Torture and murder have no statute of limitations.

Did I mention, "Torture and murder have no statute of limitations."?

[kmac3]

31. Request for AG intervention . . . .

I firmly believe Holder's reaction and/or inaction on this request will be a truly huge measure of what we can expect from this newly appointed head of justice. Do we get a man of law with great intelligence and integrity exercising law "by the book" or do we get a political chess piece that judges on political views and sways under political power.
I can only hope that we finally have a true man of law in this extremely powerful position.
:dilemma:

[mod mom]

34. This travesty needs to be fully exposed not JUST dismissed!

[L. Coyote]

41. Many travesties of Justice in just Siegelman's case alone

Abramoff-Rove-Reed-Falwell illegal campaign financing of 2002 Republican Riley.
Stolen 2002 election after losing by a few votes, politicization of AL Justice.
To win the 2006 re-election, charging Siegelman with crimes.
Fixing the trial, improper prosecutorial conduct.
Improper political relationships with faux recusals.
Everyday dirty tricks in Alabama politics, like fixing judges.
Jailing Siegelman during appeal.

So many co-conspirators, it's Titanic. I'm not surprised one jumped this ship.

[road2000]

49. I fully agree, mod mom.

All the dirty work by Rove and minions should see the light of day. Alabama was not the only state in which they corrupted the justice system and initiated political witch hunts. And, before going after Siegelman, Rove fixed a judicial election in Alabama. That's documented.

"Little Florida" in the Baldwin County seat of Bay Minette was a travesty (when the vote count favoring Siegelman was mysteriously overturned in the dead of night to Riley's favor, thus throwing the election to him).

A dismissal would merely bury skeletons that must be brought out.

[Dinger]

37. Why Do We Have So MAny More Recs For This Than Responses?

C'mon people, chime in!!! It's the patriotic thing to do!:patriot:

[acmavm]

42. Because sometimes the obvious gets neglected in all the fuss.

That the Stevens case be overturned for prosecutorial misconduct, yet this case be allowed to stand on the verdict by the appellate court (that only dismissed what, three charges/convictions and let the others stand?),is even to the numbest-from-the-neck-up a miscarriage of justice.

[Enthusiast]

56. Many of us have chimed in on this issue

And if Holder does not act I'm afraid to say it but I will no longer have any confidence in the Obama Administration. I don't want to feel that way.

[stillcool]

61. I think you should do yourself a favor.

and declare that you have no faith in the Obama Administration. Believe me, things will not be done on your time table. Can you imagine if 1% of the population called their representatives and demanded investigation? Who knows what would happen? It's never been done before.

[pam4water]

43. If they let Ted Steves of they shoudl as fuck had better help Siegelman!

[Overseas]

45. K&R!! //nt

[XXXMADAM]

47. Alabama Madam dead by hanging in federal jail cell

I would like to know why the madam from Alabama was found hanging in a jail cell in Tom Delay's Brazoria County Texas after she supposedly had escaped from a Federal trusty camp in Bastrop, Texas - at the same time I, myself, was being approached by the FBI and other LE to Sextort-to-blackmail "State and Political officials".

Why was this Alabama madam selected for prosecution from all the yellow escort page ads?

Recall CIA madams DC Deborah Palfrey and Brandi Britton of (CIA) Maryland were both found dead by hanging also. I imagine there are others as well and globally.

http://www.defraudingamerica.com/robin_head.html

xxxMadMadam

:mad:

[XXXMADAM]

53. 1993 CIA PIMPS

This was also the exact same time when DC madam Palfrey, while on Federal parole for 'Extortion' in her 1st escort service, opened her 2nd escort service in Wash. DC while living across the nation in California.
Time vicinity that the Waco Davidian babies burned. Still smoldering from the ash heap they came to my house in Houston. Both Bush's running for political office, totally hostile towards Clinton.
I wonder whatever became of my co-workers who were tricked-n-trafficed into jails abroad, Bangkok, etc... One madam from Dallas got a Life sentence abroad.

WASHINGTON TERRORIST PIMPS
Predatory PIMPS

Stop them before they PIMP and HANG again!

xxxMadMadam

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mark D.]

51. President Obama - Please Pardon Don Siegelman

President Obama - Please Pardon Don Siegelman. This might deserve it's own thread.

[Enthusiast]

62. I prefer he is acquitted of

all wrong doing. He doesn't need pardoned.

[McCamy Taylor]

52. Stevens made it possible for the Holder DOJ to intervene. They better do it quick

before people forget about Stevens.

[blaze]

54. Any chance it was timed

exactly this way on purpose?

[Deep13]

57. And this is what happens when a prosecutor's integrity is called into question.

I just work for a local, yokel county prosecutor. Nevertheless, we would NEVER engage in the conduct that happened in the Steven's case. We have never fabricated evidence and we give Brady material to the defense routinely.

Obviously we don't want to create a miscarriage of justice, reversible error or an ethics violation. Just as important, we don't want a reputation for misconduct, either. If we did, then this is what happens. Defendants would claim everything we did was suspicious either out of legitimate concern or else just to play the system.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

60. Rec #83

The truth has been out there for some time.
God, so many people belong in jail...so many leftover Bushies.

[sandyd921]

63. Rec'd! n/t

[sandyd921]

64. Anyone know when the US Attorneys hired under Bush

are going to tender their resignations? Isn't that customary when a new administration comes in? Is this just another way to seed the Obama administration with holdovers who will undermine the work to clean up the huge mess?