Posted on 03/28/2008 1:42:30 PM PDT by Anti-Hillary
OAKDALE, La. (AP) -- Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was released on bond from a federal prison Friday, saying he remains upbeat despite serving nine months for corruption.
Leaving the prison in a black sport utility vehicle, he stopped on a road outside the lockup to comment. He wore a ragged shirt that appeared to be prison clothing.
''I may have lost my freedom for awhile, but I never lost faith,'' Siegelman, 62, told reporters.
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Siegelman should be released while he appeals his conviction.
He declined further comment, saying, ''I want to be with my family for a few days.'' But he said he would make a statement when he reaches his home in Birmingham, Ala.
Siegelman was placed in federal custody after being sentenced last June to more than seven years in prison for bribery-related counts and one obstruction of justice count.
The House Judiciary Committee also has announced that it wants to hear Siegelman's views when it probes claims of selective prosecution by the Justice Department.
Siegelman has maintained that certain Republicans targeted him after he was elected governor in 1998. The House committee has begun reviewing his case as part of a broader investigation into allegations of political meddling in federal prosecutions.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Hmmmm, no clue about his party affiliation in this NYT snippet!
Are we playing “guess the party” with the Times again?
Must be a Democrat, since the AP (via the NY Slimes) doesn’t mention his party affiliation at all.
Wikipedia says he belongs to the Democrat Party.
Just doing the work the NY Times won’t.
We thought the conviction by 12 of his peers on the jury would put his Criminal away, but thanks to two judges on the 11th Circuit, a convicted felon now roams our streets
The amusing thing about this deal...the guy who gave Siegelman the $500k as the bribe....can’t get out and has six more years to give. Don is simply getting a couple of weeks out while folks try to figure how to disprove the bribe and wire transfer charges. What GW could do...is simply give Don a pardon...saying he felt he ought to be spared the pain and punishment of staying in jail. The best thing about Don’s whole case...is that Karl Rove was against him....and that might be enough to get Don out of jail.
Oh, I'm sure the NYT did that research.
Out on bail, but still convicted is considered being “freed?”
Yeah-—it’s all the fault of those wascally wepublicans. They made him take the bribe.
Nope. Rove's involvement is only a figment of wild-eyed-Democratic imaginations.
Seigelman was only convicted of 6 bribes and 1 obstruction, however. Prosecutors haven't even yet begun to look into how he funded his daughter's toddy Mountain Brook villa.
It’s astounding...he was convicted on ROCK SOLID evidence of extensive bribery...yet can get out of jail just because there’s a liberal movement afoot to link Karl Rove somehow to the case? This is the leftist version of justice - Democrat public officials are simply not accountable when the opposition is in power.
I was just reading the Lib slant of all this on some other web site.
These people are wacked. apparently the only reason he’s in jail is because he was a “Way to popular Dem in G. Dubya Bushes America”.
Gee, Let’s not even consider that a CRIME was commited.
Well, from what i’m told we all take half a million bucks in bribes. Only it’s the hypocritical Rethugs that ever get away with it.
How do the paranoid idiots survive day to day?
When Siegelman returns to the joint Rick Perry can join him.
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