For your consideration

Kagro X has a post up at Daily Kos entitled “This will make Watergate look like child’s play.” It’s about Don Siegelman, the former Democratic governor of Alabama who was allegedly the target of a political prosecution by the Republicans. The facts are still being developed and I’m citing to a Daily Kos page, so I don’t expect anyone to take this as gospel. But, if true, the implications are astounding.

Siegelman was prosecuted for allegedly trading government favors for campaign donations when he was governor from 1999 to 2003 and lieutenant governor from 1995 to 1999, and HealthSouth CEO, Richard Scrushy was accused of arranging $500,000 in donations to Siegelman’s campaign for a state lottery in exchange for a seat on a state hospital regulatory board.

There are allegations that Karl Rove planned on neutralizing Siegelman politically through federal prosecutions. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Siegelman released from prison pending his appeal, finding that he had raised substantial questions of law and fact demonstrating the potential that the trial court had committed clear error.

In isolation, this wouldn’t be that big of a deal. However, you see something similar in the case of Georgia Thompson who was released from prison after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined, upon review, that the prosecution’s evidence had been “beyond thin” in the words of one of the judges.

Then, you have the Attorney General purges under the leadership of professional amnesiac Alberto Gonzales who resigned under the pressure of an investigation into whether United States Attorneys were fired for not pursuing politically motivated and timed corruption prosecutions.

Perverting the justice system, imprisoning people, and ruining lives for political gain makes G. Gordon Liddy’s break into Democratic headquarters look like an April Fool’s joke by comparison. Again, file under, “interesting, if true.”