Siegelman: Exposing Rove is 'worth every day in prison'

In an hour-long interview with Thom Hartmann of Air America Radio, former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman pounded hard on what he sees as the three main issues raised by his case: the involvement of Karl Rove in the politicization of the Department of Justice, the apparent theft of the 2002 election in which he was defeated by Bob Riley, and money-laundering by Jack Abramoff and his associates.

"Rove's fingerprints, from start to finish are on this case," Siegelman told Hartmann, continuing a line of argument he began in an interview last week with Robert Kennedy, Jr. "It's been a very expensive and costly ordeal for me and my family and, you know, we're not whining. If serving nine months in prison and spending every dollar I've got will lead to ... the exposure of Karl Rove's involvement, it will be worth every day in prison and every penny I've spent."

"When they dig up the evidence that was buried when Alberto Gonzales and Rove left the White House," explained Siegelman, "they're going to find that, I believe, that Karl Rove provided an umbrella of protection over those people who were operating to abuse the Department of Justice, because it just doesn't make sense why these people would violate the law with impunity unless they knew that their bosses or someone higher up had given the green light for them to do so."

Siegelman went on to speak about the apparent theft of the 2002 election, a topic that has so far been avoided by the mainstream media. "We won the election," he stated unequivocally. "The votes were counted and were declared, and then in one county, which is controlled by Republicans, after midnight when everybody went home, when the poll workers were sent home, when the media was gone, they decided to electronically recount these votes and shifted the votes and certified the vote illegally the next day. The, interestingly, Karl Rove's client stepped in, the attorney general stepped in and said, 'if anybody tries to hand count these votes we're going to put them in jail'."

"There's a new book out by Mark Crispin Miller, New York college professor, called Loser Take All," continued Siegelman. "There are two articles in there, one by Larisa Alexandrova who writes for Raw Story and a professor from Auburn University, both of which ... actually go into the fact that it's a mathematical impossibility for the election not to have been stolen."

Siegelman finally raised the issue of money-laundering by Jack Abramoff and his associates. "When I was in prison with no bail in Louisiana, my spirits were uplifted by my friends and the letters and prayers that they sent," he stated. "It was uplifted by John Conyers and what he was doing and my own Congressman Artur Davis, but especially uplifted when the national media started spotlighting the injustices beginning with Karl Rove but, you know, but also focussing on Jack Abramoff and what, you know, Abramoff was, I think, Rove's bag man."

"I think one of the people who emerged as a hero in this story of all roads leading to Rove is Henry Waxman," continued Siegelman, "because he is following the money, following Abramoff, and if you look at where that money went, a lot of it came into Alabama. Tom Delay's money came through Alabama as well. ... And it's also interesting that there has been no federal investigation of Ralph Reed's involvement, of Grover Norquist's involvement and the fact that they were used as conduits by Rove and Abramoff for trying to destroy me."

"I think Henry Waxman is on the trail to something," Siegelman concluded. "And I want to encourage those of you who are out in California to give him a pat on the back and encourage him to stay on the trail until he finds stuff that will lead to Rove."

#

RAW STORY 's Larisa Alexandrova has reported extensively on the Siegelman case and related matters in a series titled The Permanent Republican Majority:

Part One  The Political Prisoner

Part Two  Exclusive interview with jailed governors daughter, Dana Siegelman

Part Three  Running Elections from the White House

Part Four  How Bush pick helped prosecute top Democrat-backed judge

Alabama station drops 60 Minutes expose on Don Siegelman prosecution

Interview with Dana Jill Simpson and alleged Rove smear campaign

Karl Roves Next Move: A million dollar home on Floridas Emerald Coast

Part Five  Mississippi Justice: Bush US Attorney targeted my wife, supporters and friends

#

This audio is from The Thom Hartman Program, broadcast April 29, 2008.