U.S. Judge Probes Political Prosecutors

In a major setbck to the Rove Republican Racket, a federal judge tossed out the conviction today of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens and launched a probe into prosecutorial misconduct.

This probe may well open a can of worms.

From Mississippi to Puerto Rico, U.S. Attorney Offices are on notice: the distasteful political prosecutions of the Rove-Bush Administration will be closely reviewed.

From today's Reuters Wire:

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge angrily threw out a jury's corruption verdict against former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens on Tuesday and ordered a criminal contempt probe into what he called "shocking" Justice Department misconduct. U.S. District Judge Emmmet Sullivan said prosecutors in the Stevens case had withheld exculpatory evidence, violating their duty to all cases whether they apply to "a public official, a private citizen or a Guantanamo-based detainee." Democratic President Barack Obama's Justice Department decided last week that government prosecutors in the Republican Bush administration had made irreconcilable mistakes in the case against Stevens, the longest serving Republican in the Senate. Stevens, 85, lost his Senate seat in November elections only days after the guilty verdict was reached. He was a powerful Republican whose reputation over a 40-year Senate career became symbolized by a costly "bridge to nowhere" he sought to fund in his home state. Sullivan said he was naming Washington lawyer Henry Schuelke III to begin criminal contempt proceedings against the six-member prosecution team based on the prosecution's failures and "potential obstruction of justice."

Fixing More Than One Bad Case

Today's top story in USA Today makes it abundantly clear that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to reverse or correct many of the political persecutions of the Rove Republican Racket.

Minor, Siegelman, Schmitz and others have a new option, a new path to liberation. Here's a passage from today's news story:

Holder's actions sent a message aimed at fixing more than one bad case, legal analysts say. "The attorney general has sent an unequivocal message that prosecutions of any kind, whether against Republicans, Democrats, independents or others, must be done right," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said after Holder's announcement. "Public confidence in our justice system and in the Department of Justice can only be preserved when prosecutors adhere to the most stringent legal and ethical standards." Just months ago, Leahy and the committee's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, were among the Justice Department's harshest critics who, during the waning months of the Bush term, characterized the agency as one of the most damaged institutions in government.

Acquittal in Puerto Rico

Democratic Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila of Puerto Rico was targeted by the Rove Republican Racket as you can guess right before the elections in November of 2008. The wild accusations and nine counts of corruption cost the one-term governor the election.

Even the Puerto Rican media piled on demanding his resignation before the election. It was a well orchestrated win for the Rove Racket.

After 30 witnesses for the federal prosecution and a month long trial, the jury came back on March 20th and unanimously found the former Governor NOT guilty on all nine counts.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder should now look at the prosecutorial misconduct on that sunny island. Here is the full story.

Rove's U.S. Attorneys: Out of Control

The fallout from the reversal of the bogus Stevens political prosecution is growing.

Today, the Associated Press reports that the fallout is "far from over....Within the department [of Justice], the Stevens case could have far-ranging implications. The prosecution team, including the top two officials in the public integrity section, faces an internal investigation."

The news story has a great observation: "Joseph diGenova, a former federal prosecutor, said federal prosecutors suffer from 'a lack of supervision....I'm a great fan of prosecutors, but the department and the U.S. attorneys offices in my opinion have been out of control,' diGenova said."

Holder "Horrified" by Prosecutorial Misconduct

In news reports, Attorney General Eric Holder said he was "horrified" by the prosecutorial misconduct in the case against U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.

With the Stevens indictment and conviction now tossed aside by the Attorney General, there is now hope that justice will prevail against the Rove Republican Racket's political persecutions of Democratic politicians and fundraising allies.

The cases of Paul Minor, Sue Schmitz, former Gov. Don Siegelman among others should and most likely will be reviewed for prosecutorial misconduct.

Former General Counsel to President Nixon, John Dean gives an inside look at what motivated Holder to move on the Stevens case. His insightful column for findlaw.com focuses on Judge Emmett Sullivan.

Holder: Commitment to Justice Over Politics

Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder decided to withdraw the indictment and reverse the conviction of former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.

This was a huge and bold political statement by Holder: The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to justice, not politics. Let's see what will happen to the other Rove Racket political convictions.

The Associated Press posts:

The Stevens case, the government's highest-profile attack on congressional corruption in recent years, was plagued by problems that continued to pile up even after a jury found him guilty. The last straw, apparently, was the failure of prosecutors to turn over notes of a crucial interview in which a witness contradicted a statement he made later under oath at trial. "I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial," Attorney General Eric Holder said. He said the department must ensure that all cases are "handled fairly and consistent with its commitment to justice. "The prosecutors who handled the trial have been removed from the case and their conduct is under investigation.

Rove Political Prisoner Lawyers Optimistic

We have written previously about the political prosecution of Paul Minor by the Rove Republican Racket in Mississippi. As anticipated, today, his attorneys argued for his release in an appeal. The Sun Herald reports:

Posted on Wed, Apr. 01, 2009
Minor attorneys optimistic about
appeal

By ANITA LEE--Paul Minor’s attorneys were encouraged this morning by the reaction of an appellate court panel to their argument that he was wrongly convicted of judicial bribery. “It went really well this morning,” said Greenwood attorney Hiram Eastland from Austin, who also worked on the appeal of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

“We were really encouraged that the panel asked thoughtful questions regarding the issue of required quid pro quo.” In legal terms, quid pro quo is receipt of something valuable in exchange for a bribe. Federal prosecutors were not required during Minor’s 2007 trial to show that he received favorable rulings from two state court judges as a direct result of loan guarantees and cash loan payoffs Minor made for the judges. A 2005 trial ended with a hung jury on bribery charges against Minor and the judges. In the 2005 trial, U.S. District Court Judge Henry T. Wingate did require a finding that the judges ruled in Minor’s favor because he guaranteed and paid off their loans.

Another encouraging sign for Minor’s defense: one member of the three-judge panel recused herself from hearing the case. A Democratic appointee replaced 5th Circuit Judge Priscilla Owen, whose recusal Minor’s legal team sought because of her ties to Republican political operative Karl Rove. Minor has long argued that he was a victim of Rove’s political strategy to undermine Democratic candidates by going after their contributors. Minor, a multi-millionaire, was a major contributor to Democratic candidates before his indictment in 2003. Eastland said Minor’s lead attorney, Abby Lowell, also argued that Minor should be released pending a decision on his appeal. Minor, whose wife is dying of cancer, is serving 11 years in federal prison.