Could The Unmasking Of Sonny Reagan Lay Foundation For The Fall of Riley Machine?

Alabama political jackals are coming
out in the open.

An Alabama special prosecutor last week was quoted in court documents as saying that both House Speaker Mike Hubbard and "the Riley machine" are "going down" in the ongoing Lee County grand-jury investigation. The documents surfaced as part of an effort by Deputy Attorney General Sonny Reagan to avoid testifying before the grand jury. Now Reagan stands accused by his own office of "having undisclosed communications with individuals affiliated with people who are indicted or under investigation by the grand jury."

That's a fancy way of saying Reagan has been improperly leaking information to his friends, in an apparent effort to help them avoid big trouble. And it raises this question: Did Special Prosecutor Matt Hart know about Reagan's leaking activities when he uttered ominous words about Mike Hubbard and the political machine led by former Republican Governor Bob Riley? Did Hart utter the words, quoted by Reagan, because he knew Reagan was trying to save the fannies of his long-time political allies? Could Reagan's improper communications help lay the groundwork to bring down Hubbard and the Riley Gang, including son Rob Riley and daughter Minda Riley Campbell?

Those are just a few of many intriguing questions raised by the "Unmasking of Sonny Reagan," an event we think could have historic implications for a Deep South state that long has been plagued by corruption, largely fueled by conservatives.

Let's consider a few other questions that quickly come to mind:

* With whom did Reagan communicate, and when did the communications take place? What point in the grand-jury proceedings seemed to prompt his outreach efforts?

* How did Reagan and his associates communicate? Was it in person, by phone, e-mail, regular mail, text, other? Could use of the federal mails or wires (phone, computer) invoke federal jurisdiction if the case turns into a criminal matter?

* Did Reagan communicate with anyone associated with Indian gaming and did he try to protect them in any way? If so, what does that say about his handling of cases against non-Indian gaming facilities, such as VictoryLand in Macon County?

* Did Reagan encourage anyone to lie or cover up information before the grand jury? Did anyone actually lie to the grand jury, based on Reagan's encouragement and instructions?

* Birmingham lawyers Rob Riley and Bill Baxley represented Reagan in his efforts to avoid testifying before the grand jury? Did they unlawfully receive information about the grand jury's activities from their client? Did they know that Reagan was leaking grand-jury information? Were they among those who received his leaks? If so, what did Reagan discuss with them and why?

That last set of questions hits close to home for us. Rob Riley filed a dubious defamation lawsuit against me last fall, which led to my unlawful incarceration for five months. Bill Baxley represents former Luther Strange aide Jessica Medeiros Garrison in another defamation lawsuit, which just happened to surface against me at about the same time as the Riley case. Now we know that Riley and Baxley are associated with Sonny Reagan, a man who stands accused by his own office of subverting the legal process.

What does that say about Riley, Baxley, and their ethical standards? What, if anything, does it say about the cases they brought against me? What does it say about their involvement with Reagan? What kind of Unholy Alliance is this?

That brings us to Alabama Political Reporter and Editor Bill Britt, who broke the Reagan story. Britt referred to Reagan, Hubbard, Riley and Co. as jackals (see photo above), and here are a few of Britt's blunt words:

Like jackals, these opportunistic predators seek to ravage all that is good in our State, filling their bellies at a feast of greed and corruption. The whole affair reeks of madness, the kind of madness that stems from a conscience seared with a hot iron, void of principle, avaricious and demented by power.

This must end with the indictment and conviction of Hubbard and the whole Riley Machine, or the State will be damned by men like Reagan.

Comparing some of Alabama's scummiest politicos to jackals? That leads to one final question: Isn't that an insult to jackals everywhere?