Proof Mounts of Impropriety by Feds in Siegelman Case

US Attorney continued to guide case after recusing herself over GOP ties

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 14, 2008 2:40 PM CST

(Newser) – New court documents call further into question the actions of Justice Department officials in their prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman on corruption charges, Time reports. With the Democrat’s appeal scheduled for next month, the House Judiciary Committee disclosed violations by the Bush-appointed US Attorney, Leura Canary, who publicly recused herself from the case but continued to privately advise prosecutors.

Canary recused herself in 2002 because of her husband’s ties to Siegelman’s gubernatorial rival and GOP operative Karl Rove, but mails from a DOJ whistleblower show her managing the Siegelman prosecution from afar. “A recused United States Attorney should not be providing factual information to the team working on the case under recusal,” House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers wrote last week.

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Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman arrives at the federal courthouse in Montgomery, June 27, 2007. (AP Photo)

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was convicted of corruption in 2006 but released on bail during his appeal, which a federal judge said raises "substantial questions" of prosecutorial misconduct. (AP Photo)

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, left, and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy arrive at the Federal Courthouse in Montgomery, Ala., Thursday, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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It is difficult to imagine the reason for a recused [US Attorney] to remain so involved in the day to day progress of the matter under recusal. - House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, in a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey

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Proof Mounts of Impropriety by Feds in Siegelman Case