House Democrats to Grill Mukasey On Siegelman
February 7th, 2008The political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman will be on the agenda today when Attorney General Michael Mukasey testifies before the United States House Judiciary Committee in Washington.
U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., asked Mukasey to be prepared to discuss the Siegelman case during an oversight hearing of the Justice Department, according to a press release and a letter Conyers sent to Mukasey, released on the committee’s Website.
“House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. sent Attorney General Michael Mukasey five important areas of questions he should answer in advance of his February 7th testimony before the committee,” according to the press release. “Specifically, Conyers sought answers to questions about the politicization of the Department of Justice, waterboarding, the destruction of CIA tapes and vote suppression. Conyers also included suggestions submitted by progressive bloggers, which he requested earlier this week. ”
Conyers has been about the most aggressive in confronting the Bush administration on selective prosecution, torture and violations of voting rights, waterboarding and the destruction of CIA videotapes made during interrogations of terrorism suspects but later destroyed. But he has come under criticism from the left since the Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 interrum elections for not being aggressive enough.
“I very much look forward to a frank and productive discussion that will shed light on your approach to the challenging issues facing the Department of Justice and our nation at this time,” Conyers wrote.
Conyers said the panel will follow up on statements Mukasey made Oct. 18 during his confirmation hearing before the Senate, when Mukasey testified he would review Siegelman’s case.
Siegelman was convicted by a tainted Montgomery jury in 2006, sentenced by a biased judge in June 2007 and is still in prison awaiting a ruling on his release pending appeal. There is still no transcript from the two-year old trial, the judge’s responsibility, making it impossible for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to move on the case.
Conyers asked Mukasey in his letter what steps he’s taken to familiarize himself with Siegelman’s case since October, including the allegations that Siegelman was targeted by Republicans on a political vendetta.
He also asked whether Mukasey has reviewed the transcript from the Oct. 23 hearing in which a former Siegelman defense attorney and Alabama lawyer Jill Simpson told Congress the prosecutors only pursued the case after they received pressure by White House and the Bush-Gonzales Justice Department.
A copy of the letter is available on the committee’s Website, and a webcast of the hearing will be broadcast there as well.
