Siegelman, Scrushy Indicted for Bribery, Extortion
October 27th, 2005A federal grand jury indicted former Gov. Don Siegelman, ex-HealthSouth chief Richard Scrushy and two others on charges in a “widespread racketeering conspiracy” that included bribery and extortion, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday in Montgomery, Alabama, according to the Associated Press.
Siegelman says he will not drop out of the governor’s race, but he may as well, unless he plans to take the tack of former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards and become a political caricature.
As for Scrushy, his lawyer Donald Watkins told the New York Times last night that the charges were “ridiculous.”
“A HealthSouth check went into a lawful political action committee registered with the secretary of state,” he said. The contribution was disclosed, he said, and “nothing was sought in exchange.”
Mr. Watkins accused federal prosecutors of “retaliating” for Mr. Scrushy’s acquittal of federal charges in a trial in Birmingham, Ala., involving a $2.7 billion security fraud at HealthSouth.
“Apparently the spanking we gave them in Birmingham was not sufficient,” Mr. Watkins said. “We will have to do a better job in Montgomery.”
The Times hates Scrushy so much that they led with his indictment above the former Alabama governor, which is a strange twist in news judgement.
They may both walk, but not without severe damage to thier reputations. That’s why we have been talking about Lucy Baxley on the radio since July.
Tags: Alabama Governor's Race, HealthSouth's Richard Scrushy On Trial
October 27th, 2005 at 11:59 am
Siegelman Harassed Again
To the editor:
The Federal Attorneys and the FBI are at it again, and again, and again.
They have indicted Governor Don Siegelman again, this time in Middle District Federal Court. They already tried and failed in the Northern District.
Clearly, this nothing but a harassment fishing expedition. People in Alabama generally think the accused are guilty, so this is serious harassment. It affects our political life improperly, and should be illegal.
The scenario is the same: the Feds call a Grand Jury, smear him (or another Democrat) in the media for months, get the automatic indictment from the Grand Jury, and then he will await trial for months, spending large amounts of money for attorneys, and nothing will come of it.
What will be next, the Southern District?
All this happened before, during the Reagan/Bush administrations, when Birmingham and Alabama black officials were endlessly harassed for nearly 9 years, with almost no results.
Another Bush administration is in power, and it is going on again, this time against Democrats, rather than just blacks.
Does anyone have to wonder why no Alabama Republican officials face lengthy FBI investigations, Grand Jury indictments and harassment trials?
For those who do not understand the system, a Grand Jury is a prosecutorial tool, with defense attorneys not allowed in the room. The Grand Jury hears only what the prosecutor wants them to hear, and it therefore indicts. In other words, it is a witch hunt.
As before, an honest judge and jury will clear Governor Siegelman legally. But what can restore his reputation?
Incidentally, I was in the courtroom during the last Siegelman hearing in the Northern District. Judge U. W. Clemon, who has served the state and nation with distinction, did not throw the case out. Instead, he told the Assistant Federal Attorney (Judith Martin, the Federal Attorney who had brought the charges, was apparently soaking up some rays on the Gulf) that he didn’t think they had a case, but would try it if they persisted. The Assistant Federal Attorney and his legal group huddled and agreed that they had no case. In fact, they withdrew the charges.
That last fact tells you what it was all about, in my opinion. The federal government has turned against the American people, using the courts to severely damage the democratic process.
We are all on trial. Will we stand up for justice, or bow to federal injustice?