In early 2005, Siegelman announced his intention to seek
re-election. In October of that year, Siegelman was again indicted.
This time, the U.S. Attorney General for the Middle Alabama District, Leura
Canary, brought 32 charges against Siegelman involving former HealthSouth CEO
Richard Scrushy. In 2006, he was convicted of bribery, conspiracy, fraud,
honest services mail fraud and obstruction of justice charges on seven of those
charges. On appeal, two more charges were reversed. The Eleventh
Circuit Court of Appeals twice upheld his conviction. The U.S. Supreme
Court in 2009 declined to review the case. In 2012, he was re-sentenced
to 78 month in prison; three years supervised release and a $50,000
fine.
The Silence was
Deafening.
For a conservative party that hates the liberal press,
Republicans know how to play the media like a fine violin. They use the
media and Internet to promote their message and foster chaos. I once
complained that newspapers should not publish "birther" letters until their
authors proved their IQs were above 67, but their constant haranguing serves
their purpose - causing death by rumor and innuendo. They are also
masters of the sound bite. Terms like "death panels" and death taxes"
strike a chord with most plain folks. Above all, their money buys media
time and media silence.
I expected to hear loud protests from the Alabama Democratic
machine about the Siegelman indictment. I heard nothing. Like birds
caught in a hurricane, they all went to ground to avoid the wind and
rain. Surely, I thought, the Department of Justice would step in
especially once Obama was elected. But they were in damage control mode
trying to keep a safe distance away and the problem isolated in Alabama.
By 2010, I was so frustrated I wrote a letter to the
president, my only presidential letter, ever. I requested President Obama
expedite the appointment of a new U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of
Alabama, one whose office would not foster "a perception of political
bias." However, mindful of the press backlash about the midnight Justice
Department mass firings of Democratic federal attorneys by the Bush
Administration coupled with Obama's then naivetà © about maintaining
"transparency" and, I still firmly
believe, an inept Attorney General, the administration did
nothing. I never even received
a "thank you, go to hell" response. The silence was
deafening.
I still counted on the national media and the integrity of
the fifth estate. I counted wrong. There were no attacks by the
media even after the list of the players and their potential collusion was
identified. There was only a rehash of the daily events.
I whiffed a short breath of clean air, and hope, in June
2007 when newspapers throughout the state published articles about Dana
Simpson. Republican activist lawyer Dana Simpson filed a sworn affidavit
bringing some of the Republican collusion into daylight. She swore that
during a 2002 Republican campaign call she was a party to, Republican activist
Bill Canary told staffers not to worry about Siegelman because Canary's "girls"
and "Karl" would make sure the Department of Justice pursued Siegelman so that
he was no future threat. When asked who "the girls" and "Karl" were,
Simpson stated that they were Canary's wife, US District Attorney Leura Canary
in Montgomery, and Alice Martin, the U.S. District Attorney in
Birmingham. The "Karl" was Karl Rove. Unfortunately, after the
initial hiccup, the story went nowhere.
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