Posted on 04/10/2009 9:42:56 AM PDT by jazusamo
Attorney General Eric Holder has warned his U.S. attorneys that misconduct in the Department of Justice will not tolerated, but he's also trying to nip in the bud any reluctance in his staff to tackle public corruption.
Good government activists are warning that the dropping of all charges against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and the tossing of his seven felony convictions could give U.S. prosecutors cold feet in going after other politicians who are suspected of crimes.
Already the lawyer for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who was convicted of bribery and mail fraud, has urged Attorney General Eric Holder to dismiss all charges against his client, citing accusations of "far ranging misconduct" in the case.
These developments alarm activists who fear prosecutors will be tempted to hold back when it comes to cases that have not yet gone to trial.
"It has a chilling effect," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.
He said the dismissal of corruption charges against Stevens, and the subsequent opening of an investigation into the prosecutors in the case, sends a signal to U.S. attorneys that "it's not worth it going after big-name politicians."
"So who benefits? Rod Blagojevich, people associated with him," Fitton said, referring to the former Illinois governor recently indicted on a slew of corruption charges.
The Blagojevich case was already dogged by questions about prosecutorial conduct. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was criticized by some legal experts for holding a high-drama press conference to announce the charges in the fall, using language like "political corruption crime spree," and then requesting months to seek an indictment.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I disagree, corruption will still be pursued. But any prosecutor who knowingly withholds exculpatory evidence should be disbarred, and they all know perfectly well that doing so is unethical.
Just start hanging the Nifongs and the system will straighten itself out.
The power of today’s corrupt politicians is directly proportional to the number of Democrats “voted” into office.
Agreed, I believe they’ll continue and if some prosecutors get disbarred the rest will think twice before repeating this .
You’re correct.
Well I'm hoping that "U.Sl prosecutors" get cold feet about committing crimes themselves by trying unwarranted cases to throw elections for their massiah! DAMMIT!
That crap has been going on for DECADES — or longer.
If you want a real treat, visit your local federal courthouse during the trial of a friend and watch FBI and IRS agents LIE THROUGH THEIR TEETH UNDER OATH.
ANYTHING for a conviction.
Stevens was just the most recent and prominent.
Stories about little guys who are treated to that sort of abuse aren’t news.
According to Quinn, this could be orchestrated to squelch Fitzgerald’s potential prosecution of Rahm Emanuel.
You can be sure that Democrats will benefit the most. Republican prosecutions like Stevens, DeLay, ... have already had their desired effect.
Democrat prosecutions are still in their infancy.
Simple rule of thumb; if the U.S. attorney needs to break the law and withold evidence from the defense in order to win their case then they probably shouldn't be tackling it in the first place.
The prosecutors in this country are more corrupt that the criminals.
No doubt about it and on the other end of the spectrum are some of the lib federal judges that slap real criminals on the hands and dole out light sentences.
It’s a shame the politics can’t be eliminated from the bench.
You’re absolutely right. I do have some doubts about Holder but hopefully he means what he says here.
Hold back from what? Lying under oath? Withholding evidence? I should hope so.
Yes. No doubt in my mind this is to protect the Obama administration.
Yup. This isn’t very hard.. if there is potentially exculpatory evidence, it must be disclosed. Simple as that.
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