Another WTF moment in the Siegelman case

[pscot]

Can someone explain to me why these Rove co-conspirators are still running amok in the Alabama U.S. Attorney's office?

http://www.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/prosecutors_ask_for_longer_sentence_for_siegelman_bob_johnson_associated_pr/72144/

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal prosecutors want former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman to serve a much longer sentence than he originally received in a federal government corruption case, even though an appellate court has thrown out two of the charges against him.

The prosecutors have sent a letter to federal probation officers recommending that Siegelman be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison when he receives a new sentencing hearing in federal court in Montgomery. Siegelman was originally sentenced to more than seven years in prison for his 2006 conviction for bribery, obstruction of justice and other charges.

The letter was also sent to Siegelman’s attorneys. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Tuesday.

“It’s evident that this team of prosecutors are biased and hell-bent to uphold this conviction and try to punish me as much as they can,“ Siegelman said Tuesday in a telephone interview.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Justice Department, Laura Sweeney, said prosecutors would have no comment because the letter to probation officers had not been filed publicly with the court (more)

[Wednesdays]

1. K&R

:kick:

[winyanstaz]

2. K & R....

and just where is Obama on this matter? Why hasn't he just pardoned Siegelman because he knows it was a political witch hunt that sent him to prison?
Why are these criminals still running around loose?

[annabanana]

3. Really. Apparently Alabama is the redheaded stepchild and the abuses

that happen down there are "just the way things have always been"... not deserving of a little triage.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. At this point, I suggest that anyone who has to drive through Alabama,

find a way to go around it. It sounds like martial law is in effect.

[Aragorn]

4. bottom-up

as opposed to top-down. Focused (biased, personal, political if you will) prosecutions are common, esp in south/rural areas. It works up to the top sometimes, like this case, but every-day folks get it all the time. Per my observations, conversations with cops, lawyers, judges over the years.

Of course it's wrong. There is little oversight it seems, in who is targeted, and at some point even a bogus case can be made to look like one that needs prosecution. Egos impede any admission of a shaky case, much less admission of wrong-doing.

If you got bucks you can at least fight it, but then you got no bucks. And you might be railroaded anyway. Then you are in jail with no bucks. The system does not discourage frivolous prosecution, as defense attorney system wants bucks too.

[Festivito]

5. Well, for them to call for "justice" would be putting themselves in jail.

That would be nice.

I think an extra year in prison for these current comments would be okay.

[pleah]

6. K&R

[HamdenRice]

7. It is difficult to fire US Attorneys. Remember Bush/Rove got in trouble for it?

If Obama and Holder just removed the US Attorney in Alabama who is prosecuting Seigelman, don't you think that the Republicans would say turnabout is fair play and howl hypocritically and ironically that Obama is "politicizing the Justice Department"?

The only way Seigelman is going to get justice is to appeal his 11th Circuit sentence to the Supreme Court -- and that could take years.

[pscot]

9. The Republicans can go suck on

a trailer hitch. Replacing these shylocks should have been a top priority. I don't understand this, and it pisses me off. Put this together with the apparent reluctance to investigate the banksters, the foot dragging on don't ask don't tell, and the hesitant approach to warcrimes in the Bush administration, and it adds up to a disappointingly tentative commitment to the pursuit of Justice. I expected better.

[HamdenRice]

10. New presidents and AG's don't ordinarily fire US Attorneys

That conflicts with the idea that the prosecutors are independent -- even if under Bush, they weren't.

You may feel like telling them to suck on a trailer hitch, but the new administration faces constraints that are different from what we fantasize about being able to do.

[Joe Chi Minh]

12. "Well, he should be released in the meantime. Isn't there enough very persuasive

evidence to prove that Siegelman's conviction was wrong and politically motivated? If so, worrying about the Republicans whining in that way makes no sense. As Rahm said earlier, they'd criticise Obama for the colour of his tie.

[HamdenRice]

16. Absolutely

He should be free on bail pending the entire time he is waiting for the Supreme Court to throw out his conviction.

[wroberts189]

13. Actually they serve at the pleasure of the president and can indeed be fired.

Just not for political reasons.

[Joe Chi Minh]

11. Posted portion of unrevised post by accident.

[AikidoSoul]

14. Fire the sick bastards who are doing this

and may they rot in hell.

K & R

[okieinpain]

15. hell if he was in oklahoma they would try to give him the death

penalty. rethugs running amok.