Written by Biloxi
Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder dismissed former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens case from prosecutorial misconduct and withholding evidence exposed by Judge Emmet Sullivan. Sullivan has now launched a criminal investigation into the six prosecutors involved in the case. Public Integrity Section chief William Welch is one of them.
Public Integrity Section (PIN), a division in the Criminal Division is no stranger to scandal and unquestionable tactics for political purpose investigations that have been badly corrupted and a need to restore.
In 2007, then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales quietly filled two long-vacant jobs in the Public Integrity Section and Fraud Section. There was no public announcement. Welch was hired as the chief in the Public Integrity Section. Prior to Welch, Noel Hillman was the head of PIN. Remember Noel Hillman, the lead prosecutor of Jack Abramoff case? Hillman was the lead man to bring down Jack Abramoff. But, then President Bush nominated Hillman as judge of the Third Circuit seat, the seat that was held by Justice Samuel Alito. Then, Noel Hillman was mysteriously pulled as the presumptive nominee. Hillman is currently the United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. He replaced retired William G. Bassler.
As the head of PIN, according to Scott Horton of Harper Magazine, Hillman's unit had responsibility for the prosecution of elected and appointed public officials at all levels of government—state, federal and local and also had responsibility for criminal action involving elections officials. In other words, at the time, Hillman was building a case against Jack Abramoff, former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman case was being built.
Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder dismissed former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens case from prosecutorial misconduct and withholding evidence exposed by Judge Emmet Sullivan. Sullivan has now launched a criminal investigation into the six prosecutors involved in the case. Public Integrity Section chief William Welch is one of them.
Public Integrity Section (PIN), a division in the Criminal Division is no stranger to scandal and unquestionable tactics for political purpose investigations that have been badly corrupted and a need to restore.
In 2007, then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales quietly filled two long-vacant jobs in the Public Integrity Section and Fraud Section. There was no public announcement. Welch was hired as the chief in the Public Integrity Section. Prior to Welch, Noel Hillman was the head of PIN. Remember Noel Hillman, the lead prosecutor of Jack Abramoff case? Hillman was the lead man to bring down Jack Abramoff. But, then President Bush nominated Hillman as judge of the Third Circuit seat, the seat that was held by Justice Samuel Alito. Then, Noel Hillman was mysteriously pulled as the presumptive nominee. Hillman is currently the United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey. He replaced retired William G. Bassler.
As the head of PIN, according to Scott Horton of Harper Magazine, Hillman's unit had responsibility for the prosecution of elected and appointed public officials at all levels of government—state, federal and local and also had responsibility for criminal action involving elections officials. In other words, at the time, Hillman was building a case against Jack Abramoff, former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman case was being built.
Once Hillman was pulled out as the lead prosecutor of Jack Abramoff and became appointed as a federal judge, Hillman was one of four sitting federal judges who have played roles in connection with the prosecution of Siegelman. How? Thanks to the arm twisting by Karl Rove.
Jill Simpson, an ex-campaign worker for Governor Bob Riley of Alabama, testified under oath to the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 that Rove was arm-twisting Hillman to prosecute Siegelman. Here was a partial transcript o Ms. Simpson's testimony:
A And so, anyway, he was telling me all of the things that Alice had done as far as having messed up the deal. And then I -- and that since she had messed it up, he was definitely running, you know what -- I mean -- and then he proceeds to tell me that Bill Canary and Bob Riley had had a conversation with Karl Rove again and that they had this time gone over and seen whoever was the head of the department of -- he called it PIS, which I don't think that is the correct acronym, but that's what he called it. And I had to say what is that and he said that is the Public Integrity Section.
[snip]
Q Okay. And who -- when you say they had made a decision, who are you thinking of?
A Whoever that head of that Public Integrity -- the PIS was as Rob referred to it. And then whoever -- and Karl Rove.
Q And what -- well, from talking to Rob, this conversation you're describing for me was in late January, early February 2005?
A That is correct.
[snip]
Q Okay. And did Rob give you the name of the person at -- I'm just going to call it Public Integrity -- that he thought he understood Karl Rove had spoken to?
A No, he said it was the head guy there and he said that that guy had agreed to allocate whatever resources, so evidently the guy had the power to allocate resources, you know.
Q To the Siegelman prosecution?
A Yes. And that he'd allocate all resources necessary.
Simpson's testimony suggests that Hillman was a key player in Rove's politicization of DOJ.
As Attorney General Eric Holder has hired a new ethics chief in the Office of Professional Responsibility, it is my hope that entire Public Intergity Section is fully corrected and restore the word "integrity" in the Public Integrity Section. As I mentioned in one of my postings about the situation of Siegelman case, there were other individuals and departments in the judicial system other than Karl Rove that were involved. And House Judiciary Committee must get Rove's testimony under oath regardless if he plead the fifth, commit perjury, or tell the truth. Currently, it is Rove's word against witness Jill Simpson who testified to the House committee under oath. But, all roads lead back to the Public Integrity Section in the Siegelman matter. Despite Hillman's ambitions for judgeship, it wasn't a coincidence that Hillman happens to be one of the judges connected to the Siegelman case and used to be the head of PIN.Ted Stevens case and the prosecutial misconduct by the government is only part of the piece of the problematic unit in the crimina division. With Judge Sullivan opening up a criminal investigation against the prosecutors involved in the prosecutorial misconduct, we may find out who devise the strategy for the Bush DOJ [who carried a reputable career record] to tamper Stevens' case. And was the original strategy is to have Stevens' case a mistrial or thrown out? The real question is how many other cases [other than Stevens' case] and investigations that we are unaware of that were tainted under Public Integrity Section under the current head and past head?
Jill Simpson, an ex-campaign worker for Governor Bob Riley of Alabama, testified under oath to the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 that Rove was arm-twisting Hillman to prosecute Siegelman. Here was a partial transcript o Ms. Simpson's testimony:
A And so, anyway, he was telling me all of the things that Alice had done as far as having messed up the deal. And then I -- and that since she had messed it up, he was definitely running, you know what -- I mean -- and then he proceeds to tell me that Bill Canary and Bob Riley had had a conversation with Karl Rove again and that they had this time gone over and seen whoever was the head of the department of -- he called it PIS, which I don't think that is the correct acronym, but that's what he called it. And I had to say what is that and he said that is the Public Integrity Section.
[snip]
Q Okay. And who -- when you say they had made a decision, who are you thinking of?
A Whoever that head of that Public Integrity -- the PIS was as Rob referred to it. And then whoever -- and Karl Rove.
Q And what -- well, from talking to Rob, this conversation you're describing for me was in late January, early February 2005?
A That is correct.
[snip]
Q Okay. And did Rob give you the name of the person at -- I'm just going to call it Public Integrity -- that he thought he understood Karl Rove had spoken to?
A No, he said it was the head guy there and he said that that guy had agreed to allocate whatever resources, so evidently the guy had the power to allocate resources, you know.
Q To the Siegelman prosecution?
A Yes. And that he'd allocate all resources necessary.
Simpson's testimony suggests that Hillman was a key player in Rove's politicization of DOJ.
As Attorney General Eric Holder has hired a new ethics chief in the Office of Professional Responsibility, it is my hope that entire Public Intergity Section is fully corrected and restore the word "integrity" in the Public Integrity Section. As I mentioned in one of my postings about the situation of Siegelman case, there were other individuals and departments in the judicial system other than Karl Rove that were involved. And House Judiciary Committee must get Rove's testimony under oath regardless if he plead the fifth, commit perjury, or tell the truth. Currently, it is Rove's word against witness Jill Simpson who testified to the House committee under oath. But, all roads lead back to the Public Integrity Section in the Siegelman matter. Despite Hillman's ambitions for judgeship, it wasn't a coincidence that Hillman happens to be one of the judges connected to the Siegelman case and used to be the head of PIN.Ted Stevens case and the prosecutial misconduct by the government is only part of the piece of the problematic unit in the crimina division. With Judge Sullivan opening up a criminal investigation against the prosecutors involved in the prosecutorial misconduct, we may find out who devise the strategy for the Bush DOJ [who carried a reputable career record] to tamper Stevens' case. And was the original strategy is to have Stevens' case a mistrial or thrown out? The real question is how many other cases [other than Stevens' case] and investigations that we are unaware of that were tainted under Public Integrity Section under the current head and past head?
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