Government Tries to Block Minor's Release to Visit His Dying Wife

Folks who have been paying attention already know the Bush Justice Department is populated by mass quantities of corrupt lackeys.

But thanks to Larisa Alexandrovna at Raw Story, we learn today that the Bush DOJ also includes a number of heartless jackasses.

Alexandrovna reports that the government opposes a motion that would allow Minor to be released so that he can visit his wife who is dying of cancer.

And get this? The government claims Minor should not be released because he is a "danger to the community."

Right, and the fact that Minor became wealthy from successfully suing business interests (can we say big tobacco and big asbestos?), and shared large portions of his wealth with Democratic Party candidates, has nothing to do with it.

Of course, the government's motion wants to ignore the corrupt handling of the Minor case by U.S. Judge Henry Wingate, who made unlawful rulings that insured that Minor and codefendants Wes Teel and John Whitfield would be convicted.

The government response in full is here.

Oliver Diaz, a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice who was prosecuted twice by the Bush DOJ (and acquitted both times), has an interesting take on the Minor story. Diaz, by the way, is a Republican. But he committed the sin of not being sufficiently pro business, and of being friendly with plaintiff's attorneys such as Minor, and wound up being pursued by the Bush Brigade:

"Government prosecutors have chosen to continue the political prosecution of Paul Minor," Justice Diaz wrote RAW STORY by email Tuesday. "In a case where even the [Justice Department] has raised the question of improprieties, these prosecutors have refused to show compassion for a man whose wife is dying with cancer Instead, the politicization of the criminal justice system is continued by these protégée of Monica Goodling."

Alexandrovna provides an update on the condition of Minor's wife:

As previously reported by Raw Story, Minor’s wife Sylvia developed breast cancer during the trial, which metastasized to her brain and lungs. Last month doctors stopped all medications other than those for pain management, indicating that Mrs. Minor is in the final stages of her illness. Minor has been attempting to get an appeal bond to be with his wife before she passes.

According to Minor’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, it will be up to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on Minor's appeal bond request. Lowell also indicates that Minor could apply for a furlough instead, writing in an email on Monday that Minor "can seek a compassionate furlough from the Bureau of Prisons based solely on his wife's condition."