Affidavit links Rove, Siegelman prosecution

Affidavit links Rove, Siegelman prosecution
Conviction politically motivated, lawyers say
Saturday, June 02, 2007KIM CHANDLER News staff writer

MONTGOMERY - Lawyers for former Gov. Don Siegelman, who argue his corruption conviction was politically motivated, said an affidavit suggests a Republican operative consulted White House adviser Karl Rove about the case.

Siegelman's lawyers said the information could be used to bolster a motion that the prosecution was unconstitutional.

"That's some powerful stuff," Siegelman lawyer Susan James said.

But a federal prosecutor called the accusations "ridiculous." And a lawyer named in the affidavit as having participated in a conference call during which the conversation took place said it didn't happen.

"It's total fiction," said lawyer Terry Butts, who represented Siegelman's co-defendant, Richard Scrushy, during the criminal trial.

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