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Published on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (http://www.citizensforethics.org)

Karl Rove led effort to prosecute former Governor of Alabama

By crew
Created 10 Oct 2007 - 5:34pm

According to a report in The Hill [1], Karl Rove played a key role in the case against former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (D).  Based on testimony provided to the House Judiciary Committee, it appears Rove may have instigated that prosecution:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) on Wednesday released an interview with GOP lawyer Dana Jill Simpson implicating former White House adviser Karl Rove in the prosecution and conviction of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D) on corruption charges.

In a closed-door interview with committee staff, Simpson recalled how Rob Riley, current Gov. Bob Riley’s (R) son, told her about Rove’s role in a plan to prosecute Siegelman if he did not back down from contesting the 2001 gubernatorial election results that handed the office to Riley. 

According to the transcript, Simpson described a 2005 conversation with Rob Riley, who told her that Rove had contacted the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice to press for further prosecution of Siegelman. She said Rob Riley also recounted how the case would be assigned to a federal judge who “hated” Siegelman and would “hang Don  Siegelman.”

 


Source URL:
http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/30261