How a state governor was imprisoned with help from Karl Rove

See a timeline of the case:

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/timeline_don_siegelman_1126.htm

It's important to understand that Siegelman was tried on charges that many observers consider to be trumped-up, and was convicted in a trial that involved numerous questionable procedures -- on top of charges of jury tampering.  Since being jailed, he has repeatedly been transferred from one federal prison to another, and steps were taken to keep the press from knowing exactly which prison he was in. 

It’s also important to know that another former Governor of Alabama was convicted of corruption charges a few years ago in a case where he personally benefited from his action (as Gov. Siegelman did not), and the man was sentenced to probation.  Significantly that case was handled by the same lead prosecutor who handled the Siegelman case.  Therefore, the sentence sought by the prosecutor in Governor Siegelman’s case was excessively disproportionate, and the sentence imposed -- 7 years, 4 months -- was extraordinarily, even absurdly, harsh.

There are numerous apparently legitimate (and arguably compelling) appealable issues in this case, as confirmed by a number of legal scholars.  There have been allegations of jury misconduct and the possible introduction of extrinsic evidence into the jury deliberation process, and these allegations have never been fully investigated.  For this reason, and because Governor Siegelman is not in any way a flight risk, the denial of a bond pending appeal was entirely inappropriate.

How Karl Rove helped remove the Democratic governor of Alabama

Siegelman’s prosecution was driven by politically motivated, Republican-appointed U.S. attorneys eager to demonstrate their loyalty to the Bush administration.  How do we know this?  A longtime Republican lawyer in Alabama has testified, under oath, that she heard a top G.O.P. operative in the state say that Karl Rove "had spoken with the Department of Justice" about "pursuing" Siegelman, with help from two of Alabama's U.S. attorneys. 

This G.O.P. operative who made this allegation re: Rove was Dana Jill Simpson, a lifelong Republican and lawyer who practices in Alabama.  She made the charges in a May 21st affidavit, obtained by TIME, in which she describes a conference call on November 18, 2002, which involved a group of senior aides to Republican candidate Bob Riley, who had just narrowly defeated Siegelman in a bitterly contested election for governor.  Though Republican Riley, a former Congressman, initially found himself behind by several thousand votes, he had pulled ahead at the last minute when disputed ballots were tallied in his favor during a late-night “recount” by Republicans behind locked doors, with no Democratic election officials or members of the press present.  After the abrupt vote turnaround, Siegelman sought a mutually verified recount, which never took place.  The Simpson affidavit says the conference call focused on how the Riley campaign could get Siegelman to withdraw his challenge. 

According to Simpson's statement, William Canary, a senior G.O.P. political operative and Riley adviser, who was on the conference call, said "not to worry about Don Siegelman" because "'his girls' would take care of" the governor.  Canary then made clear that "his girls" was a reference to his wife, Leura Canary, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, and Alice Martin, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. 

Canary reassured the others in on the conference call — including Riley's son, Rob, and Terry Butts, another Riley lawyer and former justice on the Alabama Supreme Court — that he had the help of a powerful pal in Washington.  Canary said "not to worry — that he had already gotten it worked out with Karl, and Karl had spoken with the Department of Justice, and the Department of Justice was already pursuing Don Siegelman," the Simpson affidavit says.  Both U.S. attorney offices subsequently indicted Siegelman on a variety of charges.  http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1627427,00.html

It is clear then that Gov. Siegelman was singled out to be persecuted by Karl Rove.  Ninety-percent of the charges leveled against him were thrown out before the trial.  He was found innocent of over a dozen others in the trial. 

In summary and conclusion:

Don Siegelman was a highly popular Democratic Governor of Alabama and was the only person to ever have served Alabama by being elected to its four highest offices. 

What horrific crime did he commit?  He was convicted of appointing someone to a state board – a man who had been appointed to that same board by three previous governors.  And according to Thom Hartmann it was a non-paying position! http://www.jewlicious.com/?p=3721

In order for GOP candidates to win back top Alabama offices, they recruited the help of Karl Rove and his buddy Bill Canary. 

In 2001 BushCo appointed Leura Canary as U.S. Attorney in Montgomery, Alabama.  Leura is the wife of Bill Canary.  A loyal BushCo operative, she saw to it that Siegelman would be jailed and thus removed from office. 

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