Dear Friends,
I need your help on a critical issue. Time is of the essence. I'm asking that you email influential editors and Attorney General Eric Holder.
Attorney General Holder recently abandoned the conviction against former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R). His decision had nothing to do with the merits of the Stevens case, but was based on misconduct on the part of the Department of Justice. Attorney General Holder did the right thing.
It's been a long time since we have seen the DOJ act courageously. Attorney General Holder's action gives me hope that justice can be restored and our democracy can be preserved.
An important difference between the Stevens case and my case is that I was not accused of taking even a penny for myself. In my case there are many instances of government wrongdoing. American Trial Lawyer Magazine tagged me as America's number one "Political Prisoner," Time Magazine said I was a victim of selective prosecution, and CBS's 60 Minutes exposed that the government used false testimony to convict me and withheld critical documents from my lawyers. The House Judiciary Committee even has sworn testimony that Karl Rove was involved in my prosecution as well as other serious prosecutorial misconduct.
Attorney General Holder threw out the case against Ted Stevens because the government withheld information that could have been critical to the outcome of Senator Stevens' trial.
There's far more prosecutorial misconduct in my case than in the Stevens case. Please read this letter from my lawyer to the Attorney General (PDF), which outlines some of those areas of misconduct.
After reading the letter, please email the following editors commending Eric Holder for helping to restore justice by dropping the charges against Senator Stevens but suggesting that the gross prosecutorial misconduct in my case far exceeds the misconduct in the Stevens case. Tell them the Attorney General should investigate my case and that, when he does, he will find it cries out for justice and should also be dismissed.
Please email your comments to:
Adam Cohen, Editorial Page Editor of the New York Times at adam@nytimes.com
Fred Hiatt, Editorial Page Editor of the Washington Post at hiattf@washpost.com
Bruce Dold, Editorial Page Editor of the Chicago Tribune at brucedold@tribune.com
Cynthia Tucker, Editorial Page Editor for the Atlanta Journal Constitutional at Cynthia@ajc.com
I am also asking that you write to Attorney General Holder at AskDOJ@usdoj.gov to express your support for his courageous step toward restoring justice and encourage him to help right the wrongs in my case as well.
Sincerely,
Don Siegelman
Governor of Alabama 1999-2003
P.S. The cost of my legal defense has been an extraordinary burden on me and on my family. If you are so inclined, please contribute to my Legal Defense Fund by clicking here. Thank you so much for your continued support in these difficult times.
