Alabama Law Journal

Obama and Siegelman - Are the Donations Any Different?

A message from the Friends of Don Siegelman

Dear Supporter,

I need your help to get this message out:

A recent headline in Bloomberg News said: "Obama Offers Key Posts to those who Bankrolled Campaign."

Under the 11th Circuit's ruling in "The Siegelman Case," President Obama and contributors who accept appointments could be indicted and convicted of bribery and extortion if President Obama knew at the time they made a contribution that the donor wanted the post to which the President later appointed them.

54 former Attorneys General, both Democrats and Republicans, said the 11th Circuit's ruling in the Siegelman case means "a prosecutor has the power to indict and convict any politician and any donor whenever a donation was made and the politician took action consistent with the donor's desire, while aware of said desire."

Your Congressional representatives need to know about this. Send them a message today!

Here is why it is important to Members of the House and Senate:

What's at stake is whether an elected official can be prosecuted for doing something for a contributor. Sound crazy? It is! The U.S. Supreme Court made it clear in McCormick v. U.S. that it takes an actual explicit quid pro quo agreement before the line between politics and crime is crossed. However, in my case, the court said that juries may infer an agreement from the minds and actions of the elected official and the contributor, the opposite of explicit.

The 54 former State Attorneys General told the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in the Siegelman case: "Such an interpretation puts at risk every politician who accepts a campaign contribution." "...criminalizing activities that fall short of an explicit quid pro quo agreement, can only lead to an impermissible chilling effect on the First Amendment right to contribute to political campaigns."

It is important not only to my freedom but also to every elected official, including the President Obama, to get this First Amendment issue clarified.

As I raise money to pay for my $150,000 appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court I am asking you to continue the fight in Congress.

Click here to send a message to your U.S. House and Senate Members, and urge them to investigate the prosecutorial misconduct in my case and remind them that 54 former state Attorneys General have said that the ruling in the Siegelman case "puts every politician at risk."

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Don Siegelman
Governor of Alabama 1999-2003

Don Siegelman Legal Defense Fund Still Needs Donations

The following post is an email from the Friends of Don Siegelman, seeking to raise funds for his court defense.

Dear Supporter,

We are now drawing near the final hour of my legal battles.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied my request for a re-hearing of our arguments which could have led to overturning my politically motivated prosecutions.

Meanwhile, the Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney and her henchmen, still in power in Alabama, are seeking an additional 20 in my re-sentencing. This is after the court absolved me of two charges. And all this because I re-appointed a contributor to a board he had served on under three previous Governors, and for which I did not profit a single penny.

We must continue the legal fight in the U.S. Supreme Court. The work that my lawyers are now doing is critical to my freedom but will be an extraordinary financial burden. Just the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to cost more than $150,000. That's why I am asking you to please donate as much as you possibly can to my Legal Defense Fund today.

Click here to donate to my Legal Defense Fund today -- and help me keep fighting for justice!

Beyond the legal battles, we're continuing the fight for justice in other ways. We are reaching out to members of the U.S. House and Senate to uncover the truth about the real motivation for my prosecution and the many other instances of prosecutorial misconduct. Already Karl Rove has had to appear before one grand jury and is expected to be called to appear before the House Judiciary Committee.

We're also fighting our battle in the press. A bipartisan group of 54 state Attorneys General told the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in an open letter and amicus brief that such an interpretation of the law "puts at risk every politician who accepts a campaign contribution..." The New York Times has also asked the Department of Justice to investigate my case, citing a letter from 75 former state Attorneys General who said the issues raised in my case "require an immediate investigation, because they go to the core concepts of fairness and due process, which are at the foundation of our criminal justice and legal system."

With everything that was mishandled with my case, sometimes it's tough to keep track of it all. Here are the greatest hits:

    * I was prosecuted for something that The New York Times said has never been a crime.
    * I was selectively prosecuted (Time Magazine)
    * Witnesses were coached, false testimony given and evidence withheld (60 Minutes, CBS, February 24, 2008)
    * I was brought to trial one month before the Democratic Primary.
    * The prosecutor is the wife of Karl Rove's best friend, a man who was my opponent's campaign manager.
    * There's sworn testimony that Karl Rove was involved.
    * Jurors emailed other jurors during the trial seeking votes for conviction.
    * Jurors passed notes to the prosecutors during the course of the trial.
    * Prosecutors had private communications with the judge.

That's quite a list. But you've been with us for a while now and already know most of this. Many of you have already personally reached out to Congress, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder seeking the truth and the restoration of justice

For these actions I am truly grateful and I ask that you please continue to help me fight for the truth. Can you make a donation today to support that effort?

Click here to donate to my Legal Defense Fund today -- and help me keep fighting for justice!

The work that you've done in contacting the White House, your members of Congress and Attorney General Holder and the work of my lawyers is important to my freedom but has been an extraordinary financial burden. This is why I am asking you to please donate as much as you can to my Legal Defense.

Donate today!

Thank you so much for your continued support in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Don Siegelman
Governor of Alabama 1999-2003

 

Paid for by Friends of Don Siegelman 2008