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)  Now a Republican lawyer from Alabama, Jill Simpson, has come forward to claim that the Siegelman prosecution was part of a five-year secret campaign to ruin the governor. Simpson told 60 Minutes she did what’s called “opposition research” for the Republican party. She says during a meeting in 2001, Karl Rove, President Bush’s senior political advisor, asked her to try to catch Siegelman cheating on his wife.

"Karl Rove asked you to take pictures of Siegelman?" Pelley asks.

"Yes," Simpson replies.

"In a compromising, sexual position with one of his aides," Pelley clarifies.

"Yes, if I could," Simpson says.

She says she spied on Siegelman for months but saw nothing. Even though she was working as a Republican campaign operative, Simpson says she wanted to talk to 60 Minutes because Siegelman’s prison sentence bothers her conscience.

Simpson says she wasn’t surprised that Rove made this request. Asked why not, she tells Pelley, “I had had other requests for intelligence before.”

“From Karl Rove?” Pelley asks.

“Yes,” Simpson says.

Rove was a strategist in Alabama. Simpson says she worked with him on several campaigns.

60 Minutes contacted Rove. Through his lawyer, he denied Simpson’s allegations. One of Rove’s close Alabama associates was Republican consultant Bill Canary. Simpson says she was on a conference call in 2002 when Canary told her she didn’t have to do more intelligence work because, as Canary allegedly said, “My girls” can take care of Siegelman. Simpson says she asked “Who are your girls?”

“And he says, ‘Oh, my wife, Leura. You know, she's the Middle District United States Attorney.’ And he said, ‘And then Alice Martin. She is the Northern District Attorney, and I've helped with her campaign,’” Simpson says.

“Federal prosecutors?” Pelley asks.

“Yes, Sir,” she says.

Bill Canary denies the conversation ever happened. He told 60 Minutes he never tried to influence any government official in the case. His wife Leura Canary and Alice Martin are top federal prosecutors in the state. Both were appointed by President Bush, and their offices investigated Siegelman. Details of some of those investigations leaked to the press. And Siegelman lost his 2002 re-election campaign narrowly to Republican Bob Riley.

Two years later, as Siegelman geared up to run again, the Justice Department took one of its Siegelman investigations to trial-an indictment involving an alleged Medicaid scam.

“He’s indicted. He goes to trial. That's a pretty big deal to have your former governor on trial. Everybody's there. The government gives their opening argument. The judge says, ‘I want to see you in chambers because this case, there's no case here,’" Grant Woods says.

Woods says the judge threw the case out, without a witness testifying. “The case is so lame that he throws it out,” he says.

Vindicated, Siegelman focused on winning the 2006 election. And that’s when Jill Simpson says she heard the Justice Department was going to try again. She says she heard it from a former classmate and work associate Rob Riley, the son of the new Republican governor.

“Rob said that they had gotten wind that Don was going to run again,” she says.

“And Rob Riley said what about that?” Pelley asks.

“They just couldn't have that happen,” Simpson 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.