Yesterday I went a little "I told you so" about USA SDNY Michael Garcia’s finally admitting he has squat against Eliot Spitzer and can’t prosecute him.
Folks in the comments were talking about how both Spitzer and former governor Don Siegelman were both the vicitms of manufactured "criminal" cases. Toss in former California Governor Gray Davis who was the victim of a manufactured energy crisis–compliments of Enron, no less and you start to see a pattern that is really disturbing.
I’m not sure that anything more can be done about Enron, especially with Ken Lay gone. However, I think that we should focus much more on the abuse of the prosecution function to subvert the right of the people to actually be governed by the people and the party they have elected.
Don’t forget, David Iglesius was fired for refusing to bring a bogus prosecution against a Democrat running for office.
I fear opening a can of worms by advocating review and investigation into these cases, because my limited suggestion may give birth to an even more disturbing new criminal defense tactic of calling for an investigation of the prosecutor every time he brings a novel or edgy case. Such a result would so totally not be my desire.
Nonetheless, the tactics employed in the Siegelman case bear scrutiny. Further, Spitzer was taken down by the leak of information that appears, from the outside, to be Grand Jury material. Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure forbids the leaking of Grand Jury information. it is meant to protect the "innocent accused".
That means people like Eliot Spitzer.
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Hey, LHP!
ot – cspan reports that obama’s press conference will start 10-15 minutes late.
Hi LHP
This is really bad, but right in line with what we’ve come to expect.
Almost over.
Digg this
We need to get over this stuff about sex. If there was a leak it should be investigated. What are the chances?
Yep, but the bad guys got away with it.
Hey Neuro I dugg your Digg!!
I sure hope obama plans on making a statement with regards to the department of justice.
thanx for this post lhp
“my limited suggestion may give birth to an even more disturbing new criminal defense tactic of calling for an investigation of the prosecutor every time he brings a novel or edgy case. Such a result would so totally not be my desire.”
so what remedy would you suggest?
NPR has commentary awaiting the Obama presser. There was some annoying person on talking about how Rahm Emanuel picked up 30 seats for the Democrats as head of the DCCC in 2006. No mention of Dean and his 50 state strategy or the races that Emanuel invested heavily in (Duckworth) and lost. It’s amazing how if you can throw a meme out there and keep it going for a while it becomes “truth”.
It’s my understanding that this presser is just about economics, as his economics summit is just ending.
but better than the alternative.
What has happened to the accused’s right of discovery? Does it still exist only when he/she is charged?
There was more to the Davis recall than just the Enron-caused energy problem. The GOoPers in the lege had agreed to a three-year rollback on vehicle registration fees, and when the time came to end the rollback, they screamed about it being ‘raising taxes’. Lies and more lies ….
maybe he will answer questions on other topics if they get thrown at him
“What breed of puppy do you plan to give to your daughters when you are in the White House?”
OMG. A cnbc guy said that even though Wall St. may want Obama to talk to them, that’s not what today is about. Had to pick myself up from a complete faint to type this comment.
i’m sure that emanuel is giving full credit to all. /s
Good point. Gotta get the important news out. Need to know puppy’s name too.
All these “Prosecutions” Must be investigated! I wonder just how much malfeasance would come out with a thorough investigation. How many of the Bushies would be facing jail time for political prosecutions??
We as a country can’t just let these criminals get away with what they have done to the people of this country. I am not of the school of “Oh well they are out of office so just let it go” Attitudes like that are just so wrong. A crime is a Crime is a crime and the perps must be brought to justice. Just as they falsley did to good Americans
on MSNBC, Tweety is filibustering right now
although he does have some help
do you know the list of advisors in today’s meeting? i’ve seen partial lists, but nothing complete.
As unsympathetic as Spitzer is, this was a manufactured scandal. The media ate it up because it was lurid and about sex. Prosecutorial misconduct gets swept under the rug. It reminds me of Clinton’s sex scandal where Republicans would excoriate Clinton during the day and then relax in the evening with some good kinky sex with their mistresses.
Heads must rove, er, roll.
I haven’t looked for it. Saw the camera panning the room earlier, so I got some of the people, but not all. Will you google it or me? *g*
My ‘doodles are hoping for one of their cousins in the white house.
Tweety makes the bold prediction that “we will get news out of this press conference”
Hey do they ever tell the truth??
We know the answer to that now don’t we…
Well, if manufactured, it can be investigated then. Just your opinion or is there more?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11…..on.html?hp
Name of yours? And what do you suggest for theirs?
Makes me nervous how many sitting Dem governors have been taken out by manufactured crises. It’s stealing our vote, our democracy.
MSNBC has live stock ticker on the screen
let’s see what it does during the conference (Dow up 239.02 a moment ago)
They’re backing & filling because the presser is starting late.
“Hope”? “Change”?
Good ones!
This is a partial list. I also heard that Robert Reich was also there.
Obama up.
The thugs are experts on the dark side. That is why I suggest we infuse the education system with state of the art ed. Got to break the hold on ignorance. Of course. it will cost $$$. Maybe we could fight one less war a year?
OT CSPAN
Obama news conference up
and so is Jane
Obama up so far has said nothing.
Obama speaks, Dow dropping
Especially when he said that there could only be one president at a time. They were hoping that Bush would just step aside.
Good move get to the truth of the violations by Bushco.
Our kids education should be job one. The Dutch did it and have gotten amazing results for their investment in their people!
from the telegraph:
What are the chances that the leak will be investigated? Depends on how cheezed off Spitzer and Michelle Hirshamn are.
I am suggesting that THIS instance and the Seiligman case be taken through to conclusion. I just hope that defense counsel don’t get any bright ideas about making “investigate the prosecutor” a new fad
First of all, in a crimianl case discovery is pretty limited. Secondly, yes, discovery rights kick in AFTER you are charged.
That being said, Spitzer may have seen what the feds had –there is something called the “open file policy” that encourages prosecutors to show their ahnd of cards to encourage people with no meaningful defense to plead guilty.
Nope, discovery would not be much help to Spitzer here. investigating the leak on theo ther hand…?
I would love to be able to grill the people involved inthe Spitzer case about what, if any, “guidance” they got from who in DC?
I would add to the list the mother of all political prosecutions the impeachment of Bill Clinton
One thing that struck me about the Spitzer case is that a hooker in New York cooperated with the FBI investigators. A hooker cooperating with FBI investigtors in New York is exactly how the FBI’s New York office came to *not* investigate the then-future 911 hijackers.
I’d love to learn more about that; do you have a link or suggest somewhere I could read about it?
If I ever heard this, I have forgotten it.
looseheadprop — the man was “politically assassinated” because of that 13-FEB op-ed, IMO. Have investigative reporting underway which certainly makes the case. Think WaMu, AIG, FirstAm…what do they have in common?
This is the first one I found just now. I have more that I will look for.
http://www.tediumshift.com/bre…..20Sept.pdf
So why was the Attorney General so adamant on setting up the wiretaps? The answer lies in an event that occurred months before the attacks in Florida. A prostitute who worked for a madam named Judy Krueger had an Arabic client who told the call girl about the plans his terrorist group had, including the hijacking of planes and the WTC. After her “date” with the Arabic client, the girl called her madam with the terrifying information. The madam decided they should tell the police, which they did. The local police decided that this was a matter for the FBI, so they sent the call girl and the madam to the local FBI office. Rather than investigating the information the call girl and the madam had given them, the FBI began investigating the madam and subsequently set her up and turned her into an informant to help them set up other madams across the nation. Thus, on the morning that thousands of people were being murdered in the WTC and the Pentagon by the terrorist (who had visited the prostitute) and his accomplices, the FBI were busy placing wiretaps on the phones of a national network of madams and prostitutes.
Damn Liberal press!
How long will it take and how many instances such as this will it require before the public sees how the press collaborates with the Republicans?
Joe Wilson & Valerie Plame Wilson