GOP operative: Rove wanted dirt on Democratic Alabama Governor 
Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman is presently serving a seven-year prison term after being convicted on charges of bribery and corruption. Many experts believe there was no basis for the conviction, and evidence continues to accumulate that the prosecution of the former Democratic governor was a political coup carried out by the Alabama Republican Party in collusion with the Bush administration.
RAW STORY's Larisa Alexandrova, Scott Horton of Harper's, and a few others have reported extensively on the Siegelman case, but it has not been widely featured in national media. However, this Sunday, CBS's 60 Minutes will be airing a long-awaited investigation into the Siegelman case, which is expected to feature some explosive new revelations.
In a teaser for Sunday's program, CBS has released part of an interview with Alabama Republican lawyer Jill Simpson, who participated in a secret five-year campaign to ruin Governor Siegelman but decided to turn whistleblower when Siegelman's lengthy prison term weighed on her conscience.
Simpson told CBS that as early as 2001, Karl Rove asked her to try to catch Siegelman cheating on his wife with one of his aides. She says she spied on Siegelman for months but saw nothing.
When asked by CBS, "Were you surprised that Rove made this request?" Simpson replied, "No. I had had other requests [from Rove] for intelligence before."
Rove has previously denied accusations of involvement in the Siegelman matter.
Fifty-two former state attorneys general have written to Congress questioning Siegelman's conviction. Many of them believe Siegelman was not guilty of any crime, and they are particularly concerned by the fact that the prosecution was brought by a US Attorney, Leura Canary, whose husband was the campaign manager for Alabama's current Republican Governor Bob Riley when he defeated Siegelman in the 2002 election.
Congress is investigating, but White House officials have refused to testify and the Department of Justice has resisted turning over documents.
Meanwhile, Larisa Alexandrovna is reporting that she and others who have attempted to bring the facts of the Siegelman case to light are about to be targeted by hit pieces in Alabama newspapers. She writes:
"I posted earlier today that Scott Horton of Harper's and myself, as well as others are being targeted by the corrupt politicians of Alabama and their paid shills in the Alabama press. I had gotten word from three different people that we were going to be swift-boated. ...
"Scott Horton, it seems, will be the first victim. I just got word from folks in Alabama that the article on him just went out in the print version of Montgomery Independent and authored by Eddie Curran (who it is suggested has an interesting relationship with Senator Jeff Sessions). I had it read to me over the phone. It is a total hit job with a promise of part two next week."
Larisa Alexandrova's articles on the Siegelman case can be found at the links below:
How a coterie of Republican heavyweights sent a governor to jail
Daughter of jailed governor sees White House hand in her father's fall
Running elections from the White House
This video is from MSNBC's Live with Dan Abrams, broadcast February 27, 2008.
 
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