Former Alabama governor sentenced
By Sean Aqui | Related entries in Law, Money, News
Don Siegelman, a Democrat who was governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003, was sentenced to seven years in prison and $230,000 in fines for taking bribes during his governorship.
If I were so inclined, I could take a cue from Republican defenders of Lewis Libby and Tom DeLay and decry the “political motivation” behind Siegelman’s prosecution, given revelations of a potential Karl Rove connection, other Republican connections to his case, prosecution attempts to have his sentence calculated based on the charges on which he was acquitted, and the fact that a judge entirely threw out — with prejudice — the prosecution’s first attempt to charge Siegelman in 2004. Or that when a Republican governor, Guy Hunt, was convicted of pocketing $200,000 in 1992, the state (indeed, the same prosecutor) sought probation, not jail time.
But I won’t, because the motivation of the prosecution doesn’t matter as much as the facts of the case and the conviction that resulted. The man took bribes; he deserves to go down. The fact that someone else in a similar situation got off lightly is irrelevant.
Partisans might take a lesson from that.
Hall of Shame has been updated.
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 and is filed under Law, Money, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Precisely. No favoritism because of party to a crook. If he did what he was convicted of then he deserves the penalty.
July 7th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
IF HE TOOK A BRIBE THEN YOU-ALL WOULD BE RIGHT ON, BUT HE DIDN’T.
A NON-PROFIT GROUP WAS SET UP TO FUND AN EDUCATION LOTTERY; THE EDUCATION LOTTERY FAILED AND THE NON-PROFIT GROUP WAS IN DEBT SOME $500K.
IN COMES RICHARD SCRUSHY, HEALTHSOUTH CEO. AFTER THE FAILED LOTTERY SCRUSHY AND HEALTHSOUTH PONIED-UP $250K EACH TO SATISFY THE DEBT.
THEREAFTER, SCRUSHY WAS RE-APPOINTED TO A NON-PAYING HOSPITAL CERTIFICATE OF NEED BOARD. SCRUSHY HAD SERVED ON THIS SAME BOARD UNER THREE (3) FORMER GOVERNORS TO WIT: GUY HUNT, JIM FOLSOM, AND FOB JAMES.
SIEGELMAN DIDN’T POCKET A DIME. NO QUID PRO QUO, HENCE NO CRIME.
OTHER COUNTRIES OVERTHROW POLITICAL OPPOSITION WITH ROCKS, STICKS, GUNS, ETC. WHILE I CERTAINLY DON’T CONDONE THAT ACTION, I DO RESPECT THE FACT THAT THEY’RE OUT IN THE OPEN AND NOT HIDING BEHIND THE PROSECUTION TABLE CALLING IT A CRIME.
THAT’S A SLIPPERY SLOPE THAT EITHER PARTY IN POWER COULD EMPLOY.