Congressman turns attention to Siegelman case

Today former Democratic Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was moved from an Atlanta penitentiary where he's been held since his federal sentencing two weeks ago on corruption charges to a new prison location that's not yet been undisclosed.

Meanwhile, his case has gone to Washington.

Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), a former federal prosecutor, recently sent a letter to House Judiciary Chair Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) raising concerns about Siegelman's prosecution, TPMMuckraker reports. The letter called the case against Siegelman "unusually weak," with only one witness corroborating bribery charges with second-hand information. It also noted the claims made by Republican lawyer Dana Jill Simpson that Karl Rove played a role in the investigation.

A politically motivated prosecution is not implausible, Davis said, given that former U.S. Attorneys have reported being pressured to bring indictments against Democrats. Davis also noted that the Seventh Circuit scrapped a conviction of a former Democratic governor's aide in Wisconsin, calling the evidence "beyond thin."

Davis called on the committee, of which he is a member, to investigate Siegelman's prosecution:

The trading of favors for official acts is reprehensible, and stains the reputation of the political process. But it would shatter the system if a Justice Department built a culture in which prosecutors’ career advancement depends on their willingness to press exotic legal theories that might advance the electoral interests of the Republican Party.