TPM: Siegelman And Stevens Prosecutors Team Up -- And Controversy Ensues

[mod mom]

OK, this is one of those stories where there's just so much potential muck that no one comes out looking too good...

The Justice Department is investigating credible allegations that an Alabama lobbyist tried to bribe lawmakers for their votes on a recent high-profile state bill. But the prosecutorial team -- which includes several members of the group that ran the controversial Don Siegelman case as well as the Justice Department lawyer who's under investigation for misconduct in the Ted Stevens case -- is being accused of conducting a politically motivated prosecution on behalf of the state's Republican governor.

Let's start with the first-order muck:

As we've reported, the Alabama Senate last week passed a bill that would move toward legalizing electronic bingo -- a major political issue in the state. Two days later, federal prosecutors from the local US attorney's office and the Justice Department's Public Integrity unit held a meeting with legislative leaders, where they revealed that they were probing whether senators had been bribed for their votes. One senator, Republican Paul Sanford, told reporters about a conversation he said he had last year with Jarrod Massey, a lobbyist for bingo interests. "He said he had two clients that were each willing to write me a check for $125,000. Then he said, 'Of course, there's no quid pro quo, but they need to know where you stand,' " According to Stanford, Massey added: "The guys I represent could fund your campaign two or three times over."

Sounds mucky enough. But the plot thickens:

The U.S. attorney on the case, Leura Canary, is a close political ally of Gov. Bob Riley, a Republican, who has been on a crusade against electronic bingo, and has strongly opposed the bill currently under consideration. Riley appointed Canary to an Indian gambling commission. Indeed, you might remember Canary's ties to Riley from the prosecution of former governor Don Siegelman. In that case, Canary was ultimately forced to recuse herself because her husband, a top GOP political operative and Karl Rove associate, had run Riley's successful 2002 campaign for governor against Siegelman, a Democrat. Numerous independent observers have raised serious questions about the impartiality and integrity of the Siegelman prosecution. And in addition to Canary, several other federal prosecutors from her office who worked in the Siegelman case -- including her top deputy, Louis Franklin -- also are now involved in the bingo investigation.

-snip
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/are_siegelman_and_stevens_prosecutors_teaming_up_o.php

[mod mom]

1. " Riley (GOV) appointed Canary (USAtty) to an Indian gambling commission"

WTF AG Holder/DOJ-SOMETHING IS VERY OBVIOUSLY ROTTEN IN AL!

you haven't acted on the obvious conflicts of interest with Canary in the Siegelman case and now this? What about Judge Fuller who oversaw the Seigelman prosecution while receiving contracts from the * Administration through his Doss Aviation?

more on Siegelman & Judge Fuller on this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8109503&mesg_id=8109503

[suffragette]

2. It's amazing the Leura Canary is still in that office at all

Sounds like they're trying some variant of what Abramoff used to do.

Later in the article, it goes into more detail about the disorder at the Justice Department's Public Integrity unit and there's one sentence there that resonates with multiple meanings: Meanwhile, Public Integrity remains without a strong leader.

Although that's applied to the federal office's name and personnel, it certainly applies very strongly to those who railroaded Siegelman, continue to hold public office and continue their slimy ways.

[mod mom]

3. and that's because Sen Shelby (R-AL) is holding up confirmations (it's profitable for him)

Richard Shelby Senate Hold Puts Spotlight On Defense Contractor Ties

Sen. Richard Shelby's (R-Ala.) decision to place a "blanket hold" on all presidential nominations until a pair of billion-dollar earmarks for his home state are fast-tracked has reignited the debate over the parliamentary tactics being deployed by the Republican Party. It also has thrust into the spotlight the clout that major defense contractors often wield on the political process.

On Thursday evening, news broke that the Alabama Republican has taken the extraordinary measure of holding up at least 70 "nominations on the Senate calendar" -- essentially threatening to filibuster the confirmation processes if they came to a vote. The move has spurred a series of recriminations from Democratic officials who see it as yet another instance of over-the-top obstructionism of the president's agenda.

The Senator confirmed that he launched the hold, in part, because he is upset with a tanker contract worth $35 billion that remains unresolved between Northrop Grumman/EADs and Boeing. Shelby favors the Northrop Grummann-EADS bid largely because it would result in tankers being assembled in his home state. The two contractors, in turn, have donated to Shelby's campaign committees, hoping ostensibly to secure favor or at least an audience with the Alabama Republican.

According to a review of campaign finance records, Shelby's political action committee received $7,500 in donations from EADS's PAC during the past two election cycles and an additional $21,500 from Northrop's PAC since 2000.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/05/shelbys-blanket-hold-puts_n_450934.html

[suffragette]

4. They clearly act in concert on these things

And they're acting like they think enough time has passed (and likely also fueled by all they've gotten away with) that they can bring back the Abramoff scheme.
Now I'm wondering if they are using the same playbook and whatever contacts weren't caught last time to do so.
If that's the case, they could be over-reaching enough for action to be taken against them.

From 2007:

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/09/hbc-90001209

But the path of Leura’s ‘recusal’ gets still stranger as things unfold. First, no sooner did Leura announce her recusal, than Bill became involved in another campaign—Bob Riley’s effort to unseat Governor Siegelman. This was a high-stakes effort of immense importance to the G.O.P.: retaking the statehouse in Montgomery. Again, the “corruption” allegations relating to Leura’s investigations became the main staple in the Riley campaign arsenal against Siegelman. That is to say, few people benefited more than Bill Canary from the fact that the investigation was pending, and the related rumor-mongering that flooded the Alabama media in this period. It was a huge boon to the Riley campaign. And at the same time there was something else fishy going on. Investigations in Washington, D.C., into the Abramoff scandal made clear that Riley’s former press secretary, Michael Scanlon, was right in the middle of the affair, as were a whole platoon of Riley aides. Suddenly, millions in cash from Indian gaming interests advised by Abramoff began to gush into the Riley campaign. But the U.S. Attorney’s office in Montgomery, far from ever examining these matters, began to act as Riley’s guardian angel–deflecting inquiries and dead-ending investigations.


This is echoing strongly to me of what Abramoff did:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9EQVED00.htm

AP: Riley PAC got $10K from Indian casino lobbyist

MONTGOMERY, Ala.
April 2, 2010, 9:55AM ET

Gov. Bob Riley's political action committee that is fighting private bingo casinos in Alabama has received $10,000 from a lobbyist for Indians operating federally protected bingo casinos in the state.

Steve Windom told The Associated Press on Thursday that the governor asked him to contribute to the political action committee, called GOV PAC, and that he gave $10,000. But he said the governor did not say what the PAC would do with the money.

"I was asked to make a contribution to a PAC for no particular purpose," Windom said.

[mod mom]

5. I didn't realize Michael Scanlon was Riley'sPress Secretary, thank for the links.

If we had a DOJ that was doing it's duties, I'd guess the corrupt GOP political machine in AL would be behind bars.

[suffragette]

6. That's the truth

At the least, Canary should not have been kept on.

If it all were actually investigated, they should have been the ones to go to jail - not Siegelman.