Leura Canary: April 2010

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Leura Canary: April 2010

Siegelman And Stevens Prosecutors Team Up -- And Controversy Ensues

Zachary Roth | April 8, 2010, 12:08PM

Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL) and U.S. Attorney Leura Canary

OK, this is one of those stories where there's just so much potential muck that no one comes out looking too good...

The Justice Department is investigating credible allegations that an Alabama lobbyist tried to bribe lawmakers for their votes on a recent high-profile state bill. But the prosecutorial team -- which includes several members of the group that ran the controversial Don Siegelman case as well as the Justice Department lawyer who's under investigation for misconduct in the Ted Stevens case -- is being accused of conducting a politically motivated prosecution on behalf of the state's Republican governor.

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Topics: Bob Riley, Brenda Morris, Don Siegelman, Electronic Bingo, Justice Department, Karl Rove, Leura Canary, Lobbyists, Louis Franklin, Ted Stevens

Leura Canary

Ethics Complaint Alleges New Politicized Probe Involving Siegelman Prosecutor

Zachary Roth | April 5, 2010, 1:30PM

Gov. Bob Riley (R-AL) and U.S. Attorney Leura Canary

A U.S. attorney in Alabama whose close ties to local Republicans were at the heart of previous high-profile charges of politicized justice is drawing scrutiny again. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department received a formal complaint alleging that an investigation being run in part by U.S. attorney Leura Canary was intended to influence the vote on an upcoming bill in the statehouse, and asking that Canary be removed from the probe because of her "close political ties" to Governor Bob Riley.

This isn't the first time that Canary's ties to Riley and Alabama Republicans have generated controversy. Numerous observers have charged that the prosecution by Canary's office of former governor Don Siegelman, who in 2006 was convicted on corruption charges, was politically motivated. Canary's husband, Bill Canary, a top Alabama GOP political consultant and associate of Karl Rove, ran Riley's 2002 gubernatorial campaign against Siegelman, a Democrat.