Gov. Don Siegelman being interview RIGHT NOW. Streaming link.

[no_hypocrisy]

https://www.wbai.org/listen-live/

[Kid Berwyn]

1. Thank you!

Siegelman was railroaded by GOP and supporting gangsters.

[Autumn]

2. President Obama didn't think so. In fact he he denied him a pardon.

https://www.al.com/opinion/2017/01/why_obama_was_right_to_deny_si.html

In the late hours of his presidency, not only did Barack Obama refuse to give Siegelman a pardon, but he denied it -- a legal distinction that means Obama's successors won't be able to pardon Siegelman for at least five years, by which time, the former Alabama governor will have been out of prison for four.

While the Bush Administration undeniably let politics affect its administration of the Department of Justice, to believe that a conspiracy to destroy Siegelman has persisted this long you must accept that it involved at least three other co-conspirators: Barack Obama, Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch.

[Kid Berwyn]

3. The person who led that "work" is now on the Supreme Court.

What Michael Collins wrote:

As Solicitor General of the United States, Kagan argued against an appeal to the Supreme Court by former Alabama Governor, Don Siegelman in November, 2009. The Siegelman prosecution is viewed by many as one of the gravest injustices of the modern era, a purely political prosecution initiated by the Gonzales Justice Department.

Forty four former state attorneys general were so concerned that they issued a public petition on Siegelman’s behalf in 2007. The petition to the United States House of Representatives urged prompt investigation of the many shady dealings in the Siegelman case, before, during and after his trial. They framed their petition in this simple sentence: “The U.S. justice system should be above reproach.” It wasn’t.

In 2009, ninety-one former state attorneys general filed a friend of the court brief supporting Siegelman’s appeal to the Supreme Court.

Source: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1006/S00174/elena-kagan-willing-accomplice.htm

[Autumn]

4. Ultimately it was Obama's decision. nt

[Kid Berwyn]

7. Like letting Bush and Cheney go uninvestigated n unpunished.

Last edited Sat Jun 13, 2020, 01:48 PM - Edit history (1)

They lied America into illegal, unnecessary and disastrous wars.

Remember Colin Powell holding up the vial at the UN?

Remember Condi Rice asking, “Who could have imagined using jetliners as missiles?”

Remember the CIA briefing, “bin Laden determined to strike in the US”?

Broke my heart, but “moving on” kept the status quo, and maybe the nation, intact.

[Autumn]

18. I remember all of that and more. And when Trump is out Biden will move on and Trump will

go uninvestigated and unpunished. For the country to "heal".

[Kid Berwyn]

21. A sad likelihood, my Friend.

They learned during the S&L Crisis of the 80s and 90s how to set up The Great Bank Holdup of 2008.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4055207

Let’s do all we can to elect Vice President Biden and work to see someone with integrity appointed AG.

[still_one]

10. There were issues with Don Siegelman and HealthSouth Richard Scrushy

I don't know enough about the case, but Netflix has a documentary, Trial By Media

where this case is presented, and the involvement of Siegelman with Scrushy:

episode: King Richard:

"Charged with fraud and money laundering, HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy mounts an outlandish defense and resorts to co-hosting a religious talk show."

[Demsrule86]

20. I believe it was a mistake for Obama not to pardon Siegelman...it was a political prosecution by

Rove. Nice to see you Autumn.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Will post the "archives" for the interview later.

It was an amazing interview.

[CottonBear]

6. Thank you! Do you know who the radio interviewer was?

Edit: I think the interviewer is David Rothenberg.
https://www.wbai.org/program.php?program=11

[no_hypocrisy]

9. It WAS David Rothenberg/Any Saturday.

As soon as they post it, I will post it.

[CottonBear]

14. Thanks! I found a link to his program on the radio website.

https://www.wbai.org/program.php?program=11

Since I’m from the Southeast, I’d never listened to that radio station and I did not know about Mr. Rothenberg. I’ll bookmark the web site and listen again next week!

[no_hypocrisy]

16. DR will be broadcasting again in two days (Monday, 6/15) at 10 a.m. EST

Same link.

Otherwise, 8:00 a.m. EST on Saturdays.

[quaint]

8. Why Obama was right to deny Siegelman a pardon

Posting without comment. It's an opinion piece.

The gist of the bribery and fraud charges against Siegelman was that the governor traded a seat on the Certificate of Need Board to then-HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy in exchange for two $250,000 donations to Siegelman's campaign to legalize an Alabama lottery.

[no_hypocrisy]

11. Gov. Siegelman had to plead with Scrushy to reclaim his VOLUNTEER seat on the Board.

Scrushy had previously served three terms under republican governors. This wasn't his first rodeo.

And the money was donated to the campaign of a PROPOSED LOTTERY to give free college educations to Alabaman citizens as well as start public preschool programs.

The governor did not take a single penny for himself or for his campaign for re-election.

Obama missed a few salient details. Not to forget that you get a pardon when you express contrition. Gov. Siegelman wasn't going to apologize for being wrongly convicted and imprisoned. That may be the "real reason" why there wasn't a pardon.

[still_one]

13. This was the 60 minutes episode regarding this case

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-ex-alabama-governor-get-a-raw-deal/

[no_hypocrisy]

15. I saw that segment and became obsessed with the injustice.

[still_one]

17. and while there was no doubt it was a political hit job. Regardless what the previous

republican Governors involvement with Scrushy, Siegelman did himself no favors meeting with Scrushy

Interestingly Doug Jones was on the team involved in the appeal for Don Siegelman

I don't know why President Obama didn't pardon Siegelman, but I suspect it was because he viewed it more as a political

[still_one]

12. Thank-you. A lot of folks are unaware of the relationship between Scrushy and Siegelman.

Last edited Sat Jun 13, 2020, 10:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Netflix has an episode from their documentary series, "Trial by Media", which highlights Richard Scrushy:

"Charged with fraud and money laundering, HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy mounts an outlandish defense and resorts to co-hosting a religious talk show."

Here is the sixty minutes episode regarding this case:


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-ex-alabama-governor-get-a-raw-deal/

[no_hypocrisy]

19. Here's the interview.

Although I highly recommend the entire show, if all you prefer is the interview, it starts at 1:00L40.

https://www.wbai.org/archive/program/episode/?id=13255