USA scandal reaches Mississippi.

From the Carpetbagger Report:

As the U.S. Attorney scandal has unfolded over the course of the year, there’s been no shortage of questions about prosecutors who brought dubious charges against Democrats, looked the other way on wrongdoing by Republicans, or both. Thanks to Bush’s White House and Justice Department, the notion of equal-justice under the law hasn’t been this shaky in generations.

Worse, the examples highlighting the Bush gang’s politicization of law enforcement never seem to end. Today, the NYT’s Adam Cohen offers the latest, this time from Mississippi.

In 2003, Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) was seeking a second term, taking on Republican lobbyist Haley Barbour. Republicans wanted some way to discredit Musgrove’s allies, while limiting campaign contributions from Democratic supporters. So, they prosecuted Paul Minor, a trial attorney who has contributed generously to Democrats over the years.
Mr. Minor’s political activity may have cost him dearly. He is serving an 11-year sentence, convicted of a crime that does not look much like a crime at all. The case is one of several new ones coming to light that suggest that the department’s use of criminal prosecutions to help Republicans win elections may go farther than anyone realizes. […]

Mr. Minor, whose firm made more than $70 million in fees in his state’s tobacco settlement, suspects it was his role in the 2000 Mississippi Supreme Court elections that put a target on his back. The United States Chamber of Commerce spent heavily to secure a Republican, pro-business majority, while Mr. Minor contributed heavily to the other side.

The chamber was especially eager to unseat Justice Oliver Diaz Jr., a former trial lawyer. He was re-elected after a hard-fought, high-spending campaign. Then the prosecutions came from the politicized Bush Justice Department.