Q&A with Don Siegelman: 'I think this will make Watergate look like child's play

BIRMINGHAM — Almost two months after being released from a federal prison in Oakdale, La., former Gov. Don Siegelman looks noticeably healthier.

The ghostly pallor and thinness that seemed to cling to him when he was released is all but gone.

He's got color in his cheeks, a little more weight on his body and a fierce determination to not only clear his name but to do his part to expose a scandal in the U.S. Department of Justice that he says is bigger than Watergate.

While he's got plenty to say about President Bush's former deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and the conspiracy he believes was cooked up to oust him and other prominent Democrats from office, he has nothing to say about his nine months in prison.

"That's just not something that's on my mind, and it's not relevant," he said. "That's pretty much over with, but the things that are ongoing — those are the real issues."

Siegelman will take the next step in his attempt to overturn his conviction when he files his appeal with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday.

Two years ago, he was convicted on one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, four counts mail fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. He was prosecuted along with Richard M. Scrushy, the founder and former CEO of HealthSouth Corp., who was convicted of six counts of bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud.

Siegelman sat down with The Star recently to talk about his appeal, Rove, lawyer and Republican whistleblower Dana Jill Simpson, who claims to have been privy to a plot to keep Siegelman out of office, and the national media attention his case has attracted.
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