Conyers to Speak Tomorrow at Conference on Bush DOJ Political Prosecutions (National Press Club)

[Hissyspit]

Source: Press Release/Mark Crispin Miller

National Press Club, Washington, DC

U.S. Department of Justice Political Misconduct & Selective Prosecutions

U.S. Representative John Conyers
Chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary

June 26 at National Press Club, Washington, DC (8:00am to 11:00am)

Agenda: www.politicalprosecutions.org


No link yet.

---

*For immediate release:*
Washington, DC
Ilene Proctor PR
1-[phone]

Washington, D.C. -- Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers is
scheduled to keynote an unprecedented conference about political
prosecutions by the Bush DOJ on June 26 from 8am-11am at the National
Press Club.

Experts from Congress and federal courts along with defendants and
legal commentators will discuss evidence before the Judiciary
Committee that the Bush administration targeted defendants on the
basis of political party. Elected Democrats were seven times more
likely to be investigated than GOP officials, according to a leading
study.

Former Democratic Georgia State Sen. Majority Leader Charles Walker's
prosecution is one topic of the forum. Last month, his trial judge
recused himself after Walker proved an appearance of bias. Earlier,
DOJ forced the resignation of his first prosecutor for misconduct.
At the conference, Walker's son Charles plans to announce a national
campaign to protest mistreatment of similar defendants around the
nation. "These cases must be investigated," says Walker, a former
congressional candidate. "The biggest scandal in American politics
is prosecution misconduct against Democrats, which is just as
indefensible as racial bias."

Confirmed speakers:

Alabama's former Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat who was convicted on
corruption charges during a second trial in 2006. The next year, a
Republican whistleblower provided evidence of a conspiracy to
eliminate Siegelman from politics.
Retired Chief U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon of Birmingham will
discuss his recent letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder saying
that Siegelman's first prosecution was "the most unfounded criminal
case over which I presided during my entire judicial career" of
nearly 30 years.
Law professor and Harper's columnist Scott Horton, will discuss his
vehement criticism of the political prosecutions.

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), chair of Judiciary's crime and
competition subcommittee.

Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz, twice acquitted
in prosecutions that imprisoned trial lawyer Paul Minor.

Puerto Rico State Senate Minority Whip Eduardo Bhatia, representing
acquitted former Gov. Anibal Acevedo.

Also, Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron, Project Save Justice
Executive Director Gail Sistrunk, discussing the group's video, "The
Political Prosecutions of Karl Rove"; Investigative reporter Andrew
Kreig; and McClendon Group President John Hurley.

Sponsors include civil rights groups as Alliance for Justice, Project
Save Justice, and Velvet Revolution. Speakers will be available for
interviews.
Source: www.velvetrevolution.us <http://www.velvetrevoluton.us>

[merh]

1. Diaz is suing the US Attorney that targeted and persecuted him and his wife.

June 24, 2009
Diaz countersues ex-U.S. attorney
Former state justice alleges charges brought against him were libelous
Jimmie E. Gates
[e-mail]

Former Mississippi Justice Oliver Diaz Jr. and former U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton could face off in a federal courtroom again.

But this time, it would be a civil case.

Diaz and Jennifer Diaz have filed a counter federal lawsuit against Lampton accusing him of bringing libelous charges against the then-justice to try to get him removed from office.

Lampton, who retired earlier this year as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, called the lawsuit baseless in court papers filed by his attorney, Dennis Horn.

more @ http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090624/NEWS/906240347/-1/frontpage/Diaz-countersues-ex-U.S.-attorney

And Minor's lawyer sent a letter to Holder asking that the case be reviewed like the Steven's case be reviewed and dismissed for prosecutorial misconduct.

Minor’s lawyer accuses feds of misconduct
The Associated Press • June 24, 2009

A lawyer for an imprisoned former attorney in Mississippi is accusing federal prosecutors of withholding evidence.

The lawyer for Paul Minor wants U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to ask for a dismissal of Minor's 2007 bribery conviction.

Minor was one of Mississippi's most successful and politically active attorneys before going to prison in on corruption charges. He has long said he was the target of a political prosecution by the Justice Department under Republican President George W. Bush.

Minor's attorney, Hiram Eastland Jr., sent a letter to Holder on Wednesday, accusing prosecutors of withholding evidence, conducting a political prosecution and misrepresenting standards of law.

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090624/NEWS/90624030/-1/frontpage/Minor-s-lawyer-accuses-feds-of-misconduct

[EFerrari]

4. My head feels like oatmeal right now. What do you think this means, merh?

[merh]

7. after the years of dealing with all of this

your guess is as good as mine - I think the Diaz's suit has merit, I mean look at it, the former US attorney says he recused himself in one breath while he claims immunity for doing his job in another.

I wish I could attend the conference, I would love to hear the speakers.

[Kensan]

2. 7 to 1 Ratio:

And the cases against the Republicans are being tossed out due to prosecutorial incompetence. Even the Republican cases that make it to fruition result in absolute wrist-slapping sentences (like the New Hampshire phone jammer), while the Democrats are languishing for years in prison. Total bullshit, and Congress allowed this to go on with impunity. I can hardly wait to see this get its few hours of discussion, and then forgotten over the weekend as the next news cycle event takes hold of our collective ADD-addled attention span.

[Hissyspit]

6. Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[Kensan]

10. Thank You...

Been lurking here since 2002, but as you can tell I don't get around to posting much. Thanks for the welcome, and the virtual brew. Time to go get the real thing.

[EFerrari]

3. K&R.

[Zhade]

5. TALK IS CHEAP.

NT!

[Ian David]

8. Oooh! Jonny Letter Strikes Again! n/t

[Hissyspit]

9. Point taken, however...

Some other points:

- This is not a "strongly worded letter." It is a press conference.

- It is at the National Press Club. If the mainstream media insists on ignoring, that is on them.

- Siegelman, Diaz, and others will be there. They want justice and want to be heard. Conyers is simply keynoting it.

- Conyers did indeed back off and strong legal action and impeachment. But this almost assuredly occurred, in part, due to pressure from the Democratic Party leadership.

[hootinholler]

11. Which I never could figure out why.

What did they have on the leadership to back off of such an obvious case?

There was crap flying all over the west coast too.

This is indeed progress, we shall see how it's reported.

-Hoot

[Canuckistanian]

12. ....and then he gives up before taking any action.

Sorry, been there, done that. Conyers always talks a good game.

[BigBearJohn]

13. Will it be televised?

[merh]

14. It is supposed to be on CSpan3 but I can't find a time

McClendon Group Forum on Dept. of Justice Misconduct
Today

The Sarah McClendon Group holds a forum on alleged-selective prosecutions by the Justice Department during the Bush administration. Speakers include Judiciary Cmte. Counsel Elliot Mincberg, who substituted for Chairman Conyers and fmr. Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz, who was twice acquitted on tax and corruption charges.
Washington, DC : 3 hr. 15 min.

http://www.c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN3_wm.aspx

[BigBearJohn]

15. thanks!

[merh]

17. you are welcome

:hi:

[Independent_Liberal]

16. Thanks for posting!

Now, for those on here who say "Johnny Letter" and "John is only good at talk", try turning that around and saying to yourself, "This will get some media coverage. Conyers will do the right thing." In other words, the exact opposite of what you're thinking. You may call me a looney toon, but I think if we perhaps change our attitudes and how we respond to this stuff, maybe it will have a different effect. A different effect on how we view the situation in order to ease the frustration and make us feel more productive in our efforts. That's how I can best describe it. I'm going to try that from now on and think of it as a reverse psychology thing.