When it was revealed on Monday that Alabama Attorney General Troy King is under federal investigation, his chief of staff, Chris Bence, described King as "shocked."
"This is pretty much quite a shock," Bench stated. "We are not aware that a grand jury of any kind was looking at anyone in our office."The well-connected King is a former legal adviser to Alabama Governor Bob Riley, who appointed him to his current position in 2004. Until rumors about his personal life began circulating last summer, it had been widely expected that King himself would run for governor in 2010.
However, the most shocking thing about the investigation of King for bloggers who keep a close watch on the Alabama political scene may have been "that it took so long for someone to get around to investigating him."
Allegations of a political vendetta
According to the Birmingham News, at least six former employees of King's office were called before a federal grand jury in Montgomery last week and asked about "issues related to gambling," as well as the possibility that King might have used his office to investigate particular individuals on behalf of his political allies.
Sources familiar with the case told the News that the prosecutors appeared particularly interested in King's investigation of former Tuscaloosa City Councilman Jerry Plott. Plott has claimed that King began a vendetta against him after he opposed using public money to help a King ally, Tuscaloosa businessman Stan Pate, build a shopping center.
Pate has denied asking King for any favors, claiming that he merely took evidence of what he believed to be corruption on the part of Plott and others to US Attorney Alice Martin, who referred him to the attorney general's office.
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