Huntsville Reporter Examines Tangled GOP Web at the Heart of Siegelman Case

The mainstream press in Alabama hardly has distinguished itself with its coverage--or lack thereof--of the Bush Justice Department scandal.

The story, thanks largely to the Don Siegelman prosecution, has roots firmly planted in Alabama. But our state's mainstream press has mostly ignored the story, breaking little, if any, ground.

But Greg Privett, reporter at WHNT in Huntsville, has set himself apart from the Alabama journalism crowd with a series of compelling reports about the Siegelman case and the broader Bush Justice Department scandal.

Privett's latest piece came Sunday night, spotlighting the complex web of Republican characters--Bob Riley, Bill Pryor, Bill Canary, Karl Rove, Alice Martin, and Leura Canary--who are at the heart of the Siegelman tale.

I might add one name--Dax Swatek--to that unsavory crowd. Swatek has worked for three people on Privett's list--Bill Canary, Alice Martin, and Bob Riley. And because of his close ties to Canary, Swatek has a pretty clear path to Rove.

Swatek's father, William E. Swatek, is the ethically challenged Alabama attorney who filed a bogus lawsuit against me, starting my legal headaches and leading to this blog. Dax Swatek is a key figure in our Legal Schnauzer story, and our research is getting closer to yielding strong clues about who is behind my termination at UAB.

Here's the good news: Privett is just getting warmed up. He says WHNT, over the next several weeks, will present a series of investigative reports connected to the Siegelman case and a pattern of wrongdoing by people connected to the Bush DOJ.

Privett interviewed me a few weeks back about my termination at UAB, my Legal Schnauzer blog, and connections between my experiences and the Siegelman case.

We will keep you posted as we learn more about WHNT's plans for its investigative series.