Did Ex-Alabama Governor Get A Raw Deal?

60 Minutes Reports On Bribery Conviction Of Don Siegelman In A Case Criticized by Democrats And Republicans

(CBS)  Is Don Siegelman in prison because he’s a criminal or because he belonged to the wrong political party in Alabama? Siegelman is the former governor of Alabama, and he was the most successful Democrat in that Republican state. But while he was governor, the U.S. Justice Department launched multiple investigations that went on year after year until, finally, a jury convicted Siegelman of bribery.

Now, many Democrats and Republicans have become suspicious of the Justice Department’s motivations. As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, 52 former state attorneys-general have asked Congress to investigate whether the prosecution of Siegelman was pursued not because of a crime but because of politics.

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Ten years ago life was good for Don Siegelman. After he became governor, many believed he was headed to a career in national politics. In 1999, Siegelman’s pet project was raising money to improve education, so he started a campaign to ask voters to approve a state lottery. He challenged Republicans to come up with a better idea.

“You tell us how you’re going to pay for college scholarships. You tell us how you’re going to put state of the art computers inside every school in this state,” he said.

But now the applause has long faded. Today, Siegelman is at a federal prison camp in Louisiana. He’s doing seven years. The main charge against him was that he took a bribe, giving a position on a state board to businessman Richard Scrushy, who had made a big donation to that lottery campaign. There was a star witness, Nick Bailey, a Siegelman aide who had a vivid story to tell.

“Mr. Bailey had indicated that there had been a meeting with Governor Siegelman and Mr. Scrushy, a private meeting in the Governor's office, just the two of them,” says Doug Jones, who was one of Siegelman’s lawyers. “And then, as soon as Mr. Scrushy left, the governor walked out with a $250,000 check that he said Scrushy have given him for the lottery foundation.”

“Had the check in his hand right then and there? “ Pelley asks.

“Had the check in his hand right then,” Jones says.

“That Scrushy had just handed to him, according to Bailey's testimony?” Pelley asks.

“That's right, showed it to Mr. Bailey. And Nick asked him, ‘Well, what does he want for it?’ And Governor Siegelman allegedly said, ‘A seat on the CON Board.’ Nick asked him, ‘Can we do that?’ And he said, ‘I think so,’” Jones says.

The CON board regulates hospital construction, and Scrushy ran a healthcare company. Both Siegelman and Scrushy were convicted in federal court.

But, as 60 Minutes found out, the imprisonment of Don Siegelman is not nearly as simple as that.

“I haven't seen a case with this many red flags on it that pointed towards a real injustice being done,” says Grant Woods, the former Republican attorney general of Arizona.

Woods is one of the 52 former state attorneys-general, of both parties, who’ve asked Congress to investigate the Siegelman case.

“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,” Woods says.

[Horizon555]

A follow up on the Don Siegelman Case is overdue. Why was the same court allowed to be in charged of his appeal? That they handed down an increased sentence of 20 years is more then shocking! Please follow up on the Don Siegelman Case. Thank you.

[JackieRSM]

There is no one I would rather see in jail than Karl Rove. I think we ought to set the "Heros" of the Iraq war, Rove, Cheney, and Bush, free on the streets of Iraq and see how much the people there love them. I want a front row seat!

This isn't just a Siegelman issue, it's about out right criminal activities Rove and his cronnies perpetrated on the American people. If you knew what all I've read up on Rove what he did to Siegelman would come as no surprise (I read a lot). The stuff Rove has pulled on many other politicans is outrageous, even more outrageous is the man is still walking around free. Do your research on him all the way to Texas. This is the guy who got Bush first elected as Governor of Texas and has been his right hand ever since. Why Bush was never impeached is beyond me. He blantantly has overseen crimes against this country/constitution. Those same extremists aka Ken Star impeached Clinton for a personal discretion, but somehow these more serious offenses didn't count.

I'm happy 60 Minutes is exposing this stuff. Republican or Democrat, we need our news media to stand alone from them and not pick and choose for political reasons what they will report. All wrong doing needs to be exposed. The news world has plenty of power. They are the ones who can straighten out Washington by not letting them get away with anything. With their help we could begin to clean up Washington.

Karl Rove deserves to be in jail right now. Who does he think he is to snub his nose at subpoenaes? I am mad as hell as are many many Americans at the injustices committed by these politicans who get away with things you and I would be in jail for in a hot minute. This must stop! Thank you 60 Minutes. I hope you replay this episode as many were watching the Oscars. People all support your work and I hope you do follow up on the Siegelman case.

[genette1-2009]

From deep within the red heart of AL--
Please email your Congressman or woman demanding a special prosecutor be assigned to investigate the partisan politics in AL. If people had not gotten involved in the struggle for Civil Rights in AL in the 50''s and 60''s, the advances in voter registration and other rights and opportunities for minorities would have been a much longer time in coming for thousands of people.

Stand up for American first, political parties second. A request for a special prosecutor is a small action to take, given the results that such an investigation could yield. Please take this action today. Thank you.

[dgzmmrmn]

Please, please, please report about the circumstances of the 2002 Alabama Governor''s race in which the Republicans stole the election from Siegelman.

[acousticb1-2009]

not only did he get a raw deal but
Rep Sue Schmitz (D) is getting one as well

[michaelronde]

No doubt, Karl Rove will be pardoned by Bush before he leaves office. I wonder if a pardon can be for anything deemed illegal in Rove''s past?

[onemas]

I can see JAMALA101 is still at it again today. Check out how he was clearly routed in his attempt to push his lying agenda yesterday. All he has left is to rely on hick-town news reporters in AL, who were complicit in these egregious crimes all along, to push his deceit, but completely ignores the fact that none of his Republican crooks will go on the record, whereas a rare Republican with a conscience, Jill Simpson who exposed them in their criminality, has testified under oath and via sworn affidavits, as well as interviews with CBS. What a contrast to the evil Karl Rove and his fellow AL crooks, who refuse to comply with subpoenas or even appear on CBS to explain the overwhelming evidence against them. Instead, they rely on the same underhanded lying and behind-the-scenes innuendo to try and deflect attention away from their blatant criminality. Typical Republican thugs, including the dullards who try to defend them like JAMALA101. What losers.

Dear 60 minutes, Thank you for finally bringing to the nation''s attention the Don Siegelman story. I have been following it on RawStory.com since this outrage has happened. It is my belief that this story has a connection to the fired US attornies and Karl Rove''s desire for what he called a "permanent Republican Majority". When the fired US attorneys were reviewed during Congressional testimony the focus was on "what did they do wrong to lose their jobs"! When the real question is what did other attorneys do to KEEP thiers. I believe some of those things included political proscecutions of Democrats that threatend this proposed Republican Majority. I was a registered Republican in 2001. Since the actions of Tom Delay, the lobbyist Abramoff anfd the general leadership of Hastert and McConnell I left the party and can not see ever returning to it.The lawbreakers must be found out and Mr Siegelman''s prosceution must be scutinized in a fair and unbiased light. Thanks again but keep up the pressure.
Bill D

[euphoriafilm]

Excellent work. I wished it wouldn''t have aired against the Oscars so more people would have seen it. I guess that was the trade off. Please, please follow up on this. You should cover the election fraud over his election and the "sudden" GOP discovery of more votes after everyone went to sleep and the fact that the judge for his trial was chosen BEFORE the trial was in fact a trial and that he was a long-time political rival who should have recused himself becuase he was biased. This is worse than watergate and at the end of the day THIS is what the US Attorney scandal is all about and what the missing Bush/Rove administration emails is all about. Please don''t drop this - it''s too important.

[velomelody]

Strong story. Siegelman is obviously getting screwed. Please lock in on this one and go after it. This is the other side of the firing of the US Attorneys by Alberto Gonzales. What about the attorneys that didn''t get fired? This is just one case of what they are doing. Thanks.

[velomelody]

Strong story. Siegelman is obviously getting screwed. Please lock in on this one and go after it. This is the other side of the firing of the US Attorneys by Alberto Gonzales. What about the attorneys that didn''t get fired? This is just one case of what they are doing. Thanks.

[pinkyink-2009]

Thank you for reporting such an important story! Please continue to investigate!

[rjshurm]

I am writing this to encourage you to continue to pursue this situation. I thought it would be an automatic response to such an unbelievable case. I was under the impression the news media was responsible for searching out the truth and making that truth known to the public... If encouragement is what you need to vigorously purse this injustice, then you certainly have mine and I am sure the vast majority of the American people... Thank you!

[ssbenson]

Please keep investigating and reporting on this deeply disturbing matter. Why has the national broadcast media been so silent for so long about Sielegman?

[jamala101]

Eddie Curran, the reporter who wrote the initial stories of the Siegelman-Schrushy bribery scandal, wrote a letter to 60 minutes detailing their many errors. Here is a brief summary:
Doug Jones, introduced as Siegelman%u2019s lawyer, did not represent him at the trial. Jones%u2019 story about Bailey and the check was %u201Ctotally wrong%u201D. No one testified that a check was passed at that first meeting. That was at a later meeting. There were many witnesses besides Bailey.
Dana Jill Simpson is %u201Ca very lonely person with a very vivid imagination,%u201D and %u201Call of her stories are uncorroborated.%u201D CBS apparently made no attempt to corroborate her stories.
Grant Woods is an old time friend of Siegelman. Why was this not disclosed to the viewers? Doubtful that Woods knows anything factual about the trial.
Bill Canary did not run Gov Riley%u2019s campaign, as stated by 60 minutes.
Leaks to the press were not by prosecutors and did not cause Siegelman to %u201Cnarrowly lose to Riley in 2002%u201D. Siegelman lost in the primary to Baxley, who then lost badly to Riley in the general election. Perhaps because %u201Cnumerous serious scandals%u201D of Siegelman had been widely published, not leaks.
Nick Bailey, as you state, was a crook. But %u201Csubstantial evidence%u201D showed that he and Siegelman conspired together.
The Don Siegelman you presented was squeaky clean. The real Siegelman is a crook.

[drivologist]

I want to thank 60 minutes for bringing this story of injustice to the american public.Unfortunately you have just scratched the surface of the inproprieties,and criminal activities that went on behind the scenes in order to secure a conviction of an innocent man.Please continue to dig into this story to get all the facts,but wear a gas mask the stench will be overwhelming.

[howies13]

The Mobile Press Register bashed 60 minutes today in their lead editorial "60 Minutes Guilty of Bad Journalism" Not to worry this newspaper is just a Bob Riley propaganda tool.

[billyt5903]

Keep the pressure on!!!
Would like to see a follow-up Monthly as to status of any legitamate investigation.
52 Attorney''s Generals cannot be wrong.
Thanks
billyt/

[benhorn]

I emailed my Congressman and Senators about this issue after the 60 Minutes story. Today I phoned my Congressman''s office about it. My Congressman is on the House Judiciary Commmittee. The staffer who took my call was not familiar with the issue so I explained it to him.

Mine was just one call. If 100 people called they might do something. PLEASE take 5 minutes and call your Congressperson or Senator. Or, better yet, call a Congressperson who is on the Judiciary Committee:
http://judiciary.house.gov/CommitteeMembership.aspx

60 Minutes and MSNBC are doing their part. We citizens must now take action. Please.

[helicon1-2009]

Thank you for showing the intestinal fortitude to actually air this. Even so, this should have been shown long before now, especially when a man''s entire life has been ruined for political gain. Please do the necessary follow-up on some of the facts that have been left dangling by this story.

Also, it has been made known that an Alabama station affiliate of yours claimed they experienced "technical difficulties" during only this segment of your broadcast. This station is known for being very critical of Mr. Siegelman, and is owned by a family that has donated huge sums to Republican candidates. This was no coincidence, and it is pure censorship - and very illegal.

You will go a long way toward minimizing the fallout to CBS by promptly and aggressively investigating this censorship yourself, and ending your relationship with this affiliate should you find evidence of intentional blocking. Then you should report that evidence and forward it to the Justice Department and Congress so that criminal charges may be filed against those who would deliberately censor the news for political purposes.