May 19, 2006
I tire of this
Defense lawyers try to discredit lobbyist Young
Once again, a prosecution witness is being accused of being a Bad Person by the defense. Once again, I ask: If Siegelman is so great, why is he surrounded by so many Bad People?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2006
Quid pro quo
In yet more shocking news, Lanny Young says that he gave money and gifts to Siegelman and his aides and they -- you might want to sit down for this -- did him favors that helped him make money off of the state government.
To be honest, what I don't understand is why Siegelman's price is lower than his chief of staff's. Don just got a motorcycle and a four-wheeler. Hamrick got a BMW and $15K.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)
May 10, 2006
Seems like old times
Scrushy used threats, ex-exec says
The Siegelman-Scrushy trial continues, and a CFO Mafioso testifies. Michael Martin's the thug of the CFO Mafia, who admittedly has told a couple of people that he'd kill them. We're not talking that kind of threats, or rather Scrushy left that to Martin. Scrushy merely threatened to fire the investment bankers if they didn't contribute to the lottery campaign.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:26 AM | Comments (1)
May 09, 2006
I'd say that's strange
Fund-raiser testifies donation strange
1. Siegelman comes in with a quarter-million dollar check from a company in Maryland nobody's ever heard of.
2. He then says that it's actually from Richard Scrushy.
3. Then he says he'll return it but doesn't.
Actually, that last isn't that strange.
Al Gore-related note: The check was kept in a "lockbox" for two months.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 05:46 AM | Comments (0)
May 06, 2006
He'd have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids
al.com: NewsFlash - Siegelman says second term would have more gray hair
Dandy Don says that the various problems of his first term were largely due to all the inexperienced aides he had, especially the nefarious Nick Bailey. Therefore, when he wins this time [snicker] he will only hire old people.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
May 05, 2006
Naughty aide!
Former aide says he OK'd phony invoices
Nick Bailey has spent more time being cross-examined than in his original testimony, largely because the defense has to destroy him. He's not done yet. Anyway, he's apparently being set up as the real criminal, as usual, and Don Siegelman the victim of unscrupulous underlings.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:28 AM | Comments (2)
May 04, 2006
Here we go again
Siegelman lawyers assail credibility of prosecution witness
"How can you trust this guy! He's admitted that he's a liar!"
Yes, using the classic defense strategy that allowed Richard Scrushy to overcome the testimony of five Chief Financial Officers, Siegelman's lawyers attacked admittedly crooked top aide. Again, the strategy seems to be that Siegelman isn't crooked, he just hires a lot of crooked people. That will go over really well in a political campaign.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:23 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2006
Like anyone will believe him
Aide testifies money was for board seat
I mean, like you're going to take the word of an aide that the governor showed him a quarter-million-dollar check from Scrushy and said that it was in return for a seat on the state Certificate of Need board. You might as well believe a chief financial officer, or five of them.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:22 AM | Comments (1)
May 02, 2006
Ooh, presents!
Of course, presents are exactly what got Siegelman into this mess. Shockingly, the prosecution and the defense presented different pictures of the Siegelman governor's office. The prosecutors called it an "unlawful enterprise". The defense painted it a magical fairyland not unlike The West Wing. Well, maybe I exaggerate. But only slightly.
And what of the Scrush? Par for the course:
The most heated moment came after a comment from civil rights lawyer Fred Gray, a recent addition to Scrushy's defense team.Gray told the mostly black panel that he had represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
"That's why he's here, so he can come here and say that," Franklin, who also is black, said as he objected. "It's irrelevant who he's represented in the past. Today he's representing Richard Scrushy, and he's paid well for it."
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller gaveled down the shouting lawyers and called them into discussion. Gray did not mention his civil rights experience in the rest of his statements.
Personally, I find the resemblance between Scrushy and Parks uncanny, don't you?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:20 AM | Comments (8)
April 30, 2006
Not political bias
Lawyers prosecuting Siegelman deny any political bias
"We just don't like him personally," said one prosecutor. "He picked on one of us in school, he denied another one an appointment, me he used to steal my parking space."
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:19 PM | Comments (4)
It's that time again!
Trial set to begin for Siegelman, Scrushy, 2 others
If this were Birmingham, we'd know that Alice Martin would screw up the trial. But it's Montgomery, so it's possible that the prosecutors are competent. The other question is if they can get the trial in before the Democratic primary, or if indeed they want to.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:40 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2006
That's not good
Jury pool told federal trial may last 4 to 6 weeks
Let's see, the trial starts May Day, so if it's only four weeks and the verdict comes back fast it would be in before the primary on June 6. I'm not optimistic.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2006
I hope he doesn't intimidate them
Siegelman to attend his jury selection
What with his massive physical presence and all. I do wonder how jury selection will go.
LAWYER: Have you ever seen the defendant before?
JURY: He was the governor for four years.
Now, I suppose that they could find twelve people who don't know who the governor was, but gosh, they're registered voters. No matter how ill-informed, you'd assume they either voted for him or against him at some point.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:24 AM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2006
These are always newsworthy
Judge refuses to dismiss Siegelman, Scrushy charges
Ah, the monthly "No, I'm not going to dismiss the charges" announcement. He did say some of the charges might not go to the jury.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2006
Officially
Seems like he's already been running for about two years now. Which may explain the use of "Born to Run" as a campaign song; I assume nobody listened to the lyrics. He ignored the fact that he isn't, technically, the nominee and spent his time campaigning against Riley.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:25 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 31, 2006
Siegelman broke
Siegelman's loan adds $300,000 to campaign
He's raised $400,000 for his campaign, but $300K of that is a loan from his brother. Frankly, it's kind of sad. People just don't want to contribute money to a man who's under Federal racketeering charges. Fortunately, finding people to monitor weblogs and spin their comments sections is cheap.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:33 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 29, 2006
Or the indictments, or the...
Siegelman says gains by Baxley don't worry him
Endorsements of Baxley by most of the state legislature's leadership are nothing, he says, because nobody cares about endorsements. And the voters all agree with him that the indictments are politically motivated.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:20 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 22, 2006
Not that the jury will believe him
Aide: Siegelman set Scrushy's donation
At least, not judging from the last time these guys were on trial. Allegedly, Siegelman told Scrushy that he (Scrushy) had to donate half a million to the (failed) lottery campaign to make up for supporting another candidate in the gubernatorial campaign. In exchange, the Scrush would get to decide who got named to the state Certificate of Need board, which decides if hospitals can add facilities and services.
Well, at least it wasn't cheap. A lot of this Siegelman stuff has been really petty.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2006
May Day! May Day!
al.com: NewsFlash - Judge recommends May 1 trial for Siegelman, others
The Siegelawyers had asked that the trial be scheduled before the primary. For publicity reasons, I guess. Scrushy handles his own publicity, of course.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2006
Wahhhhhh
Lawyers: Unseal their recusal arguments
A very good way to get on a judge's bad side is to try to get them to look like they're hiding something. The Siegelman and Scrushy teams have done a really good job for the clients thus far, but I don't think this is a good idea.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 06, 2006
Unfortunately, not literally
montgomeryadvertiser.com :: Siegelman-Baxley debate in limbo
Wouldn't that be neat? A gubernatorial debate with no fixed perspective. Almost symbolic, really.
Siegelman wants lots of debates. Actually, he wants a debate with the Republicans as well.
Lucy, meanwhile, says that any debate should wait until after Don's trial. Ooh, burn!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:28 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 29, 2005
Pretty much always
Both pleaded not guilty yesterday. I don't know why they had a hearing in what's usually a dead week between Christmas and New Year's. The Scrush says that they'll prove they're innocent, which is a pretty high mark to aim for. Fortunately for them, they don't have to to be not guilty.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 26, 2005
More obvious stuff
Democrats hope Siegelman trial ends before primary
State Democratic Party officials say they hope former Gov. Don Siegelman's trial on corruption charges is finished long before the June 6 primary.
Radical. Yeah, you probably don't want a candidate on trial during the primary campaign. Or, worse, he could win and then get convicted. Of course, they'll just indict him again if he gets off.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 13, 2005
Ah, conspiracy
Siegelman, Scrushy face new charges
The great thing about conspiracy charges is that they're really easy to get people on even if you can't prove that they personally did anything illegal. The S brothers had conspiracy and mail fraud charges added to the existing bribery and racketeering charges. Their lawyers, of course, deny any wrongdoing.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 29, 2005
Where does he get his money?
Siegelman filing shows big income, debts
He doesn't seem to have a job, but he made more than a quarter million last year -- about as much as Roy Moore, who was on constant speaking tours all over the country and had a book.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 20, 2005
So why are you running?
Siegelman predicts morality will play major role in race
I dunno, I think taking bribes is pretty immoral. Maybe that's just me.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:31 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
November 11, 2005
Oh no not again
Judge in Siegelman case refuses to step aside
You may recall, this happened before during the Birmingham matter -- three times. I'll say what I've said before. With all the connections that Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy have, you can't find a judge or prominent attorney in this state who isn't involved with one of them. If you're going to try them in Alabama you just have to settle for keeping out their immediate circle of friends.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 08, 2005
Job-hunting?
Faxing of Siegelman resume among indictment mysteries
Don Siegelman is charged with, among other things, conspiracy to do things not normally considered illegal. Like faxing his resume to an Atlanta business. Why did someone do this? Who knows? It was 1999, so he still had more than three years to go on his term, so it wasn't that.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 29, 2005
That's generally the case
Experts: Indictment makes campaign harder for Siegelman
Of course, a conviction would make it even harder.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 27, 2005
Don & Dick's Big Day
That's the News' headline. I like it. Maybe there'll be convictions this time! Siegelman:
"The charges are false. I'm going to be proven innocent again and we're going to go on to win this primary and win this election."
What else is he going to say? Still, yet again, he's in the papers. Most candidates would kill for this much free media. (Don't get any ideas, Roy.)
The RICO charges date back to Siegelman's term as Lieutenant Governor. At the time, that was a pretty powerful position, but the legislature stripped it of most of its authority when a Republican (Steve "Urine Jug" Windom) took over the office in 1998.
Among the accusations in the indictment are that Young gave Siegelman $204,200 and an all-terrain vehicle and gave Hamrick $46,000. In return, they helped Young obtain a tax break for Waste Management Inc., pushed a bill to let the Talladega Superspeedway sell beer on Sundays, and selected a company in which Young was involved for a lucrative contract to build two state warehouses, according to the indictment.
You know it was the ATV that put it over the top.
Scrushy is charged with three bribery and mail fraud counts. The US Attorney says that it was sealed to allow the grand jury to continue work, but I'm pretty sure that's a part-truth at best. When the indictment was handed down, Scrushy was still on trial and the judge might not have looked kindly upon another indictment being handed down.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 26, 2005
My worlds collide
al.com: NewsFlash - Former Alabama governor ...
Story still developing, but it looks like the Montgomery grand jury has indicted both Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy on racketeering charges.
UPDATE: Here's the DOJ press release:
U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, Others Indicted..."
30 counts. Defendants in addition to Siegelman and Scrushy are two former Siegelman aides, Michael Hamrick (his chief of staff) and Gary Roberts (the former DOT director). Scrushy was actually named in a sealed indictment in May, during his last trial.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:03 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 23, 2005
Partners in slime
Siegelman's strategy depends on strong black vote, Moore turnout
St. Roy needs white Democrats to cross over and vote for him in the Republican primary. Siegelman needs that too. I remain convinced that Siegelman is only running to get Moore elected. It's the only thing that makes sense.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 20, 2005
Bad Acronym Theater presents!
Grand jury hears CON testimony
You know, if you go around using that for "Certificate of Need", people are going to draw their own conclusions. Anyway, Dandy Don supposedly packed the state CON Board, which decides if hospitals can add beds or services, with people friendly to him. This story doesn't mention it, but the main focus of the investigation is the HealthSouth "Digital Hospital" project, bringing up the possibility of a simultaneous trial of Siegelman and Richard Scrushy.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 13, 2005
That's very nice, Don
Siegelman: Seniors should pay less, companies more
The Don Plan would be to lift the four percent state sales tax on food and medicine only for those 65 and older, making up the lost revenue by coming up with a rational corporate tax. I question the former; it seems like it would be very complicated for businesses to apply. Also, it's just asking for fraud.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:58 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
October 08, 2005
He's a creep
Siegelman offers apology to Baxley
I saw this a couple days ago but didn't have the opportunity to mention it... Don the Crook was saying that voters would stop supporting Lucy Baxley because Kathleen Blanco did poorly in responding to Hurricane Katrina. Because no men embarrassed themselves during that.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 06, 2005
Dueling persecution complexes
Siegelman says Moore helps his re-election bid
Of course, what Siegelman has going for him is that they really are out to get him. A Siegelman/Moore matchup would be interesting, at the least. I'm guessing that the campaign would deteriorate into each side saying that the other is getting the Feds to do their dirty work for them.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:39 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 29, 2005
If at first you don't succeed ^2
Scrushy activities in capital reviewed
So the federal prosecutors who are going after Don Siegelman are also going after Richard Scrushy. It stems from Siegelman appointments to the state Certificate of Need Board, which decides if hospitals can expand. Roughly speaking, it's as if California authorities now tried to get O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake on the same charges.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
Give it a rest already
Siegelman probe turns to 1997 bill
The continuing efforts to find something that they can convict Don Siegelman of has led the Montgomery Grand Jury all the way back to 1997, when Siegelman was Lt. Governor. Next up, they'll probably investigate his dealings as President of the SGA at the University of Alabama in 1967.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:57 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 19, 2005
Why, Don, why?
montgomeryadvertiser.com�::� Siegelman in the running
I can't understand why Siegelman is running. It makes no sense to me. Theories:
1. He's in debt and needs a campaign to get out of it.
2. He really hates Lucy Baxley and wants to spoil her chances.
3. He's trying to throw the election to Roy Moore somehow and for some reason.
4. He's completely and utterly insane and thinks he stands a chance.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:08 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
You know what happens next
al.com: NewsFlash - Former governor losses family cottage on Dauphin Island
He gets an insurance check, and the Federal prosecutor investigates to see if they can indict him again.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 06, 2005
You wanna piece of me?
"I've got a Harley! And I want to castrate sex offenders! And I'll fight Lucy Baxley to the death on pay-per-view to raise money for our schools!"
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:02 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 24, 2005
Hey, I'm part of the state!
State has ear of Siegelman as he mulls second term
Maybe I have his ear! Let me try:
Don't run, you moron! You're going to lose! All you can do is throw the election to the Republicans!
Sorry for yelling in your ear, Don.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 07, 2005
Doesn't that hurt?
Siegelman remains on the fence
He says that:
"If the election were today, I’d be in it," the former Alabama governor said, who has not officially declared his candidacy in 2006. "I am going to cities and counties to find out what the people want."
Gosh, Don, I want you to stay out of it. He's also campaigning on the lottery again.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 03, 2005
No this again
Siegelman says race was stolen
He's still claiming that he really won the governor's race in 2002 but Riley's people stole it from him in Baldwin County. Short answer: I don't think that his claims hold water. It would have required that Siegelman get many more votes in the county than any Democratic candidate and Riley fewer than any Republican. Seems unlikely.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 14, 2005
Ewww
Prosecutor: Probe may last through summer
Oh, the Siegelman investigation. Keep dragging it out, fine. It's not like he's running for governor or something.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 17, 2005
Against Siegelman
Former hospital executive testifies
HealthSouth and Siegelman collide again. Nobody seems to know what it's about this time, though it may just be a fishing expedition. Speaking of fish, I've been working on the ultimate War Liberal story:
HealthSouth executives testify that Richard Scrushy loaned a truck to Don Siegelman, who was going to use it to transport snakehead fish to the Cahaba River as part of a moneymaking scheme. However, along the way it crashed into a flatbed truck carrying Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument, scattering fish and granite all over I-59 in Birmingham, closing it for three weeks and postponing construction of a domed stadium, causing the city to lose the rights to host a series of soccer matches to Atlanta.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:55 AM | Comments (4)
May 10, 2005
I'm kinda hoping for another indictment
Siegelman case grand jury back after long delay
The Montgomery grand jury again; I don't think that the Birmingham one is still meeting. If they do indict Siegelman, maybe it will keep him from running. Nah. He'll run from the prison in Talladega if he has to.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)
May 05, 2005
Back to this
Lobbyist pleads guilty, to aid Siegelman probe
Yes, there are still grand juries investigating Don Siegelman. Lanny Young, who was already part of the Siegelman case, has pleaded guilty again and will cooperate. He's not a very good witness, let's just say that. But if the prosecutors can actually derail Siegelman's plans to run for governor in 2006 they'll be doing everyone a favor.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 26, 2005
He's running
al.com: NewsFlash - Siegelman taking next step toward campaign
He's filing campaign papers with the secretary of state today. The formal announcement is just a matter of time. The only way he can win is if Roy Moore runs as an independent, and maybe even not then. I don't know why he's running at all. Maybe he's in debt.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 14, 2005
Nice, in theory
Don Siegelman is probably going to run for Governor again. He says he hasn't decided, but he's acting like a candidate, just like Roy Moore. His issue is going to be reforming the state Constitution (unlike Roy, who thinks that it's just great as it is) and getting rid of racist language. Of course, that's purely symbolic. As I recall, in his re-election campaign, Siegelman proposed a Constitutional Convention, which is badly needed.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 25, 2005
There's always tax evasion
New avenues opened in Siegelman era probe
That's how they got Capone, of course. Apparently, the various Federal prosecutors of Alabama aren't going to rest until they get Don Siegelman for something. It's very difficult to prove anything, though, and the more they try and fail the easier it is for him to claim he's being persecuted. I wish they would put him in jail, because that way he can't run for Governor again and mess up Lucy Baxley's chances.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2004
I'll bet
Judge shuns fear, consequences
Look, once you've been threatened by Bull Connor, Alice Martin and "Troy King" don't frighten you. Once you've become Alabama's first black Federal judge, you don't particularly care what right-wingers think of you. U.W. Clemon did what he thought was right in the Siegelman matter, and that Republicans disagree with him doesn't really hurt his feelings much.
Clemon is pro-defense by normal standards. Imagine, growing up black in the segregated South making you suspicious of authority. Personally, I approve, because I think most Federal judges are far too deferential to the prosecution. But if Clemon was at fault for killing the prosecution's case, that's why he did it, not because he's corrupt, or because he was biased towards Siegelman as Siegelman.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 07, 2004
The finger-pointing begins
With trial over, some say judge was biased
Siegelman lawyers cry foul over post-trial remarks
Desperate to save herself, Alice Martin immediately claimed that Judge Clemon was biased against the US Government and all Republicans. Of course, she'd been saying that all along, which didn't really help her case.
Meanwhile, "Troy King", who is not a party to the case in any way but is a hidebound Republican zealot, decided to issue a statement attacking the dismissal of the conspiracy charge. Basically, the Republicans are crying foul and the Democrats are saying hooray. The Democrats also say that the whole thing is politics. I think they've got that right, at least.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:26 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 06, 2004
I doubt it
Clouds lift on Siegelman political future, some say
At most, Siegelman might be able to win a Democratic nomination at some point. But this isn't Louisiana, and the general electorate pays attention to big words like "indictment" even if the case was later dismissed. He can still raise money, but he should step aside and let Lucy Baxley have her shot.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 05, 2004
You thought Judge Clemon was "controversial" before?
al.com: NewsFlash - Prosecutors drop case against Siegelman, top aide
He indeed kicked the conspiracy charge, ruling there wasn't enough evidence to support it. With the conspiracy charge knocked out, the prosecution felt that there wasn't enough of a case left for the health-care fraud charge, the only one left, to stick, and moved to dismiss the case. Clemon did so with prejudice.
Heads are going to roll on this one. By all rights, the entire prosecution team, which utterly humiliated itself over the past weeks trying to get rid of Clemon and only digging itself a deeper hole, should resign. So should US Attorney Alice Martin, who has shown a positive gift for ticking off Federal judges.
The claim that Clemon was prejudiced against the prosecution depends largely upon your definition of "prejudiced". In my opinion, Federal prosecutors are accustomed to a degree of deference from judges that they really should not have, and are allowed to build too many conspiracy cases on the most circumstantial of evidence. Clemon, unlike most Federal judges, doesn't allow that. To the prosecution, this is evidence of bias. Maybe it is, I don't know.
The prosecution's attempts to remove Judge Clemon, however, were so shoddy, unprofessional, and slanderous that they destroyed any chance of success. They attacked Clemon in the press. They tried to insinuate that he was "really" guilty of crimes in the last decade that he was never charged with. They charged that he was irredeemably biased against the Federal government, a charge that if true would essentially end his career as a Federal jurist. When attacking his character, ethics, and morals did not work, they tried to go over his head to get him chucked out. The Court of Appeals needed four lines to dismiss their attempt.
What of Don Siegelman? There are still matters before grand juries in Birmingham and Montgomery that may lead to further indictments. The Montgomery cases would seem the better bet after this; at least there will be different lawyers. Even if he survives the whole thing, I would be shocked if he beat Lucy Baxley for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and he might be better off not trying and waiting for 2010.
(Thanks, Kenny.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Well, then, he's obviously guilty
A lobbyist for Dr. Phillip Bobo (Bobo is being tried separately) testified at the hearing yesterday that Siegelman told her that he had $550,000 in education money moved to the state fire college so Dr. Bobo could use it to "discourage" competitors, including the University of Alabama. Or indicated it, by saying "I got the money moved". And that she didn't believe at the time that this was illegal. Judge Clemon is still not convinced of the conspiracy count, though.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 04, 2004
Judge Clemon "controversial"
Judge delays jury selection to explore conspiracy charge
Officially labeled so by the Tuscaloosa News. Clemon put the selection of the jury (which apparently is still filling out the questionnaire) aside while holding a hearing on if the conspiracy count holds up. Since virtually every Federal prosecution seemingly has a conspiracy count attached, the prosecutors must be stunned at the possibility of losing it.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
In Tuscaloosa??
Potential jurors get questions today
One of the questions for the potential Siegelman jurors is if they're for Alabama or if they're for Auburn. (That they might be for neither isn't an option, it seems.) Apparently, there are connections to the University of Alabama that would make rooting for the school's football team a problem. On the other hand, the Auburn supporters would all need help filling out the forms.
Potential jurors will be asked how they felt about Siegelman's lottery proposal, for instance, whether they voted in the 2002 gubernatorial election and if they tend to vote for Democrats or Republicans.Political leanings will be a chief reason for striking jurors, Beasley said. But some of the less obvious questions can be telling, he said.
Potential jurors will be asked what bumper stickers are on their cars, what type of cars they drive, what talk radio programs they listen to, what television programs they watch and what magazines they read.
I wasn't called, but I'm guessing my Kerry/Edwards sticker would knock me out. I don't know about the Entertainment Weekly subscription, though; that could go either way.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 03, 2004
Make your case. Oh, done already?
Siegelman trial could end quickly if U.S. case gutted
The upcoming Siegelman trial may not take very long. And Judge Clemon may dismiss the case before it goes to the jury. It partly depends on the prosecutors' ability to make out a case for conspiracy, and partly on Clemon's ruling on some requests of the defense that would "gut" the case.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 02, 2004
Shall I?
I have this weird desire to see if I can find out what hotel they put up the Siegelman jury in. I probably won't do it, because I might get arrested, plus I'm lazy. I'm guessing it won't be the closest hotel to the courthouse, because that's probably the Sheraton Capstone, which is out of the court's price range. I'm guessing it will be the Shoney's Inn on the highway. Yes, Shoney's has a hotel chain.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 30, 2004
That was quick
Right on the heels of the ruling (four lines without comment) keeping Judge Clemon on the Siegelman matter, the trial will begin, here in Tuscaloosa, Monday. I fully expect Siegelman will get off.
The claim that Clemon presiding over the trial will hurt Siegelman with white voters, voiced in this story, is infantile. First, I doubt very seriously that it would hurt more than a Federal conspiracy conviction. Second, he isn't going to get all that many white votes anyway.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 29, 2004
Prosecutors really in for it now
al.com: NewsFlash - Appeals court won't take Clemon off Siegelman trial
Don Siegelman and his defense team did not, to my knowledge, do the Superior Dance all around the courtroom when this was announced. But they probably felt like it. As for the prosecutors, if they thought Judge Clemon was biased against them before, what's going to happen after they smeared him in the press and in court documents and tried to humiliate him by getting him removed by the Circuit Court of Appeals? Right. Forget getting a guilty verdict, they better hope they get out of this with their jobs and without getting sent to jail for contempt.
(I don't think Judge Clemon is really biased. But he's only human. And pissed.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 25, 2004
Big fun for the prosecution
Judge questions proof of criminal conspiracy
Judge Clemon is apparently thisclose to throwing out the conspiracy charges against Governor Siegelman. He's already tossed the theft charges. The prosecutors are getting pretty desperate in their need to get Clemon off the case...
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 24, 2004
No surprise there
Siegelman to fight efforts to remove judge from case
Sure, he might have been a little upset with Clemon's ruling that he had to get a different lawyer, but he's got a generally friendly judge, or rather one who really doesn't like the other guys. That's always helpful.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 21, 2004
It's a brilliant move
Prosecutors ask appeals court to remove Clemon
You see, if the appeals court removes Judge Clemon, then the prosecutors win. And if they don't, they'll ask Clemon to step aside because he can't be fair to prosecutors after they asked for his removal.
You laugh, but this reasoning isn't much different from why they're asking for his removal.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 15, 2004
Nothing new here
U.S. offers Clemon's words against him
Apparently, the government prosecutors are claiming that Judge Clemon wasn't just allied with the Jefferson County Citizens Coalition (Richard Arrington's old machine) but a member. And that this makes him biased against the Federal government! I'm not sure how. Is it because he's a Democrat? Anyway, the basic story here is that the Feds aren't comfortable with any judge who might restrain them and are trying to cherry-pick one from outside.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 10, 2004
There's the fire
BREAKING NEWS: Feds raid Fire College
The FBI raided the Alabama Fire College, which is at the heart of the Siegelman scandal, and seized boxes of documents. Apparently, this was going on at the same time as the hearing when Judge Clemon threw out the theft charges against Siegelman and his codefendants.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Prosecutors about to whine some more
al.com: NewsFlash - Federal judge throws out theft charge in Siegelman case
Judge Clemon held that a theft charge for misappropriation of funds against Governor Siegelman and his codefendants was inappropriate and kicked it. He also held a pair of prosecutors in contempt for filing a document alleging Siegelman and another defendant took $25,000 in gifts before the judge was able to rule if the document should be unsealed. He'll just issue a reprimand, no other punishment.
The prosecutors, no doubt, will claim that this is more evidence that Clemon is biased against them. A different view would hold that this is more prosecutorial overreach and that the prosecutors think that anyone who doesn't roll over for them is biased against them. You make the call.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 03, 2004
Whee, a media circus!
Clemon sets hearing Sept. 10 in Tuscaloosa
Week from today, there will be a hearing here to "define the scope" of the conspiracy trial of Governor Siegelman. The trial itself will start Oct. 4, also in Tuscaloosa. You know, all the stories I've read and I somehow didn't realize it would be here. After all, the grand jury proceeding was in Birmingham.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 05:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 31, 2004
And so on
Judge again refuses to step down
US Attorney Martin says she might go to the Court of Appeals seeking an order that Clemon step down. Yeah, judges just love undercutting other judges.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack