Q&A with Don Siegelman: 'I think this will make Watergate look like child's play'

[maddezmom]

~snip~

Siegelman will take the next step in his attempt to overturn his conviction when he files his appeal with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday.

Two years ago, he was convicted on one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, four counts mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. He was prosecuted along with Richard M. Scrushy, the founder and former CEO of HealthSouth Corp., who was convicted of six counts of bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud.

Siegelman sat down with The Star recently to talk about his appeal, Rove, lawyer and Republican whistleblower Dana Jill Simpson, who claims to have been privy to a plot to keep Siegelman out of office, and the national media attention his case has attracted.

Between working on his appeal, trying to get his voting rights restored, trips to Washington to testify before Congress and making national television appearances, he keeps his eyes on the ongoing investigation of the U.S. Justice Department.

He's aware of the back-and-forth between the House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and Rove.

Rove was to respond to a request by Conyers to testify under oath before the committee, but failed to answer by the May 12 deadline.

more: http://www.annistonstar.com/showcase/2008/as-open-0518-mricks-8e18a0747.htm

[Aragorn]

1. targets

We have U.S. citizens becoming targets, at all levels. Not just someone this visible/high-profile. The use of police/surveillance/etc against U.S. citizens - or, more correctly, the IMPROPER use of same - is a real and growing issue.

[Heidi]

2. Kick.

:kick:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Powerful article

and worth reading to the very end.

[salin]

4. for some reason - I can't pull the story up

I would be very interested in reading it.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. We are limited in the amount we can post

but here's the last bit of the interview:

The Star: What is the outcome that you're hoping for personally and at the national level?

Siegelman: We're hopeful and excited about the prospects of getting this legal battle over with because it's been going on for nearly 10 years. And it's been extremely costly to me both in personal terms with my family, my daughter, my son, who had to live through this — my son for nearly half his life, he's 19 years old. It's been obviously costly financially, and of course it's cost me my opportunity to represent the state of Alabama.

But the more important issue, frankly, is for Congress to dig in and to seek the truth. And once they discover who hijacked the Department of Justice and used it as a political tool to hold those people accountable, and to make a very clear statement that this kind of conduct is not going to be tolerated in this country ever again.

[hisownpetard]

5. What is Conyers waiting for? Subpoena Rove to appear and, if/when he doesn't,

hold him in inherent contempt.

He belongs in jail, not at the analyst's desk of Faux News.

[judasdisney]

7. Siegelman's wrong. He needs to read Naomi Wolf.

Siegleman's comparison to Watergate is completely misaligned with reality.

Comparing the Cheney/Rove plan to Watergate is missing the point entirely.

Watergate (in conventional wisdom) was an "ordinary conspiracy" -- the type of conspiracy that was "petty" or "prosaic" or "mundane" in a juvenile effort to score political gain.

Watergate (in conventional wisdom) was not part of an organized campaign to overthrow the U.S. Constitution.

Watergate (in conventional wisdom) was not part of a pattern to destabilize & eradicate democracy.

Watergate (in conventional wisdom) was a crime. Siegelman's imprisonment was a dress-rehearsal for 9/11/73 Chile.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment