MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Apr 13, 2016, 10:04 AM ET
A bipartisan group of more than 100 former state attorneys general has asked President Barack Obama to pardon ex-Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who is nearing the end of a six-year prison sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice.
Former New York Attorney General Bob Abrams said they believe the Democrat's conviction nearly a decade ago was both unjust and tarnished by politics. The letter from the group, which also supported Siegelman's unsuccessful legal appeals, was delivered to the White House on Wednesday.
"Although nine years have passed, Gov. Siegelman's unjust conviction continues to eat away at the integrity of the justice system," the former attorneys general wrote. "Many legal scholars as well as the public at large believe that the prosecution of Gov. Siegelman was a perversion of justice."
The following is my take on Siegelman:
Siegelman has almost finished his sentence and, rightly, should be compensated for being unjustly imprisoned. Those years can never be restored. However, the very least that President Obama can do is to pardon Siegelman and enable him to restore his bar certification and other professional credentials stripped from him by a rigged system of justice in the unholy State of Alabama. — KHB