I received an email from Don Siegelman, former Alabama governor, on Friday. We hope justice will prevail in the White case:
New Twist on the Siegelman Case
From: "Don Siegelman" don.siegelman@gmail.com
Date: Fri, March 26, 2010 10:41 am
To: ********@********.***
Dear ************,
Please take a moment to read this frightening statement from the wife of an Alabama
county commissioner who was subpoenaed by prosecutors to appear before my grand
jury. There is no doubt in my mind that if he had lied, as they apparently asked, he
would have never been hassled. This is the sad state that this Rove inspired
investigation sank to in my case.
Below is the statement by Judy White of Birmingham, Alabama, chosing to break the
"conspiricy of silence":
"My husband, while serving as an elected county commissioner, was subpoenaed to give
grand jury testimony against former Governor Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy,
because he assisted in arranging the meeting between them at which federal
prosecutors contend crimes were committed that resulted in Governor Siegelman's and
Mr. Scrushy's convictions. Please understand that I was present when my husband was
questioned by federal officials, and I witnessed their demands that my husband
testify as he was told, regardless of his insistence that he could not. Following
his refusal to comply, the Office of the U.S. Attorney began investigating him, and
obtained an indictment and a conviction, which was overturned by the trial judge.
The U.S. Attorney appealed the reversal.
My husband got on the wrong side by refusing to commit perjury for their benefit. We
have complained to the Office of Professional Responsibility and to the Department
of Justice, to no avail, of numerous and verifiable instances of wrongdoing in this
matter.
On one day we were highly respected, productive citizens, taking care of our family,
and contributing to our community in numerous ways, serving on the boards of
non-profits and raising awareness and money for worthy causes, aside from my
husband's public service. Then, after my husband refused to commit perjury at the
direction of federal officials, they have viciously focused on causing destruction,
including the loss of employment, our home, relationships, and any and every
resource we might have to fight back, to the point my husband is even unable to
retain counsel.
Please help us, and please continue to help change a broken system.
If I did nothing, we would continue as we have since that fateful day when my
husband refused to lie as demanded. Ultimately, I understand someone has to speak
out and speaking out brings exposure. But if everyone with knowledge of the
corruption spoke out, it would have to end, so I have chosen to not be part of the
conspiracy of silence."
Judy White
Two years ago, I had written an article about the Gary White-Don Siegelman connection on Newsinkling. com website. Gary White, a Republican, has suffered the similar injustice as Siegelman.
Newsinkling.com:
According to an affidavit from Gary White's wife, Judy, law-enforcement authorities had sought to have White testify in the Siegelman case. . They wanted him to present certain testimony that would be damaging to Siegelman. Mrs. White said:
“Federal agents repeatedly and insistently told my husband that they ‘needed’ for [a particular] meeting [between Governor Siegelman and Richard Scrushy] to have occurred at the particular and specific date, and that they wanted him to testify that it did. My husband maintained that he could not do so, as he did not know when the meeting occurred. They even attempted to persuade him that the meeting ‘could have’ taken place on the date they stated, and reminded him that he had no calendar saying that it did not.”
Mrs. White described the “cajoling of federal agents, including an individual named Bill Long (agent of the federal government), who were working under the direction of Louis Franklin, the prosecutor of the Siegelman case.” This was certainly a clear indication that Gary White was being pressed to give false evidence against Siegelman. White refused to give false evidence to the federal agents. And not long after that, White found himself a target for a federal investigation. Mrs. White said in her affidavit:
“In March of 2007, my husband was aware that he was being investigated by the FBI. Subsequent to questioning and subpoenas to certain individuals and business entities.”
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