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| Bob Riley |
The Lee County grand jury has been known to be focusing on House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn). But documents in an article at Alabama Political Reporter indicate that Bob Riley, his family members, and political associates also are targets.
The documents surfaced from an effort to prevent Deputy Attorney General, and longtime Riley ally Sonny Reagan, from testifying before the grand jury. A judge denied Reagan's request, presented by Birmingham attorneys Bill Baxley and Rob Riley (Bob's son).
Reagan has been point man, under both Bob Riley and current Attorney General Luther Strange, in efforts to shut down non-Indian casinos that feature electronic bingo.
In a July 22, 2014, memo to a chief administrator in the AG's office (marked as Exhibit C), Reagan provided details about his contentious relationship with Matt Hart, head of the Special Prosecutions Division and a key figure in the Lee County case.
Reagan writes the following about Hart:
On Monday, March 31, 2014, Matt arrived at his office and I was sitting at my desk with the door open. When Matt saw me at my desk, he stepped into my office to tell me that he was about to announce an arrest resulting from his investigation. He then asked me when I was going to "drop Mike Hubbard as a friend." He told me that Hubbard was going down along with *the Riley machine" and I should prepare myself for that fact. He then walked back into his office.
Later in the same memo, Reagan writes the following in reference to Hart:
In addition to the above events. Matt has had numerous conversations with me about his investigation into House Speaker Mike Hubbard. These conversations took place last year either in my office or in Matt's office, which is located next door to my office. Every discussion that I have had with Matt was initiated by Matt. Matt has told me repeatedly how he plans to take down Hubbard and dismantle '*the Riley machine" and has revealed to me grand jury information, or information described to me as grand jury information.
Who might be considered part of "the Riley machine"? In addition to the former governor, it almost certainly includes his son, Rob Riley; his daughter, Minda Riley Campbell; and Minda's husband, Rob Campbell, an attorney at the Birmingham firm Bradley Arant. According to published reports, the governor's office sent more than $10 million in taxpayer funds to Bradley Arant during the final two years of Riley's term, a period when a crusade against non-Indian gaming took center stage.
Reagan's memo shines light on recent reports that Chief of Staff Kevin Turner is holding a "secret" over Luther Strange's head in an effort to get Matt Hart removed from the Lee County case. Turner was a lawyer at Bradley Arant before joining the AG's staff. Is it possible that Hart's interest in Team Riley could lead to unwanted scrutiny for Bradley Arant--and Turner wants to make sure that doesn't happen?
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| Rob Riley |
Who is Matt Hart? Well, we have written about him before, and it has not been in a flattering way. In fact, we gave two thumbs down to reports that Hart would join the attorney general's office under Luther Strange.
But we are reconsidering our stance on Matt Hart. We have written many times that Bob Riley and his associates have brought an extraordinarily ugly form of corruption to Alabama--and given our state's history with slippery politicians, that is saying something.
If Matt Hart can, in fact, dismantle "the Riley machine," he would be performing a massive public service--and it might actually change Alabama from a glorified banana republic to a state that could eventually capitalize on its untapped potential.
I know personally what it is like to be a victim of the corrupt Riley machine. I would love to help Matt Hart bring them down--and I have information that might be relevant to the task.
Whether I'm a factor in the investigation or not, I will be watching Matt Hart's actions with great interest. If he is successful in taking apart Team Riley, and holding individuals accountable, he will have my eternal gratitude.
11 comments:
It has happened. The fight for control over the MS Indian money has begun. Big Luther thinks he should be in control of it since he quashed all competition for the MS Gambling Indians. The MS Indians slide Alabama politicians between 40-60 million every election to make sure they have no competition from AL casinos. It it a small price to pay when you are making 400-500 million a year. Roger I told you a few weeks back there was something big going down. Lets see how Luther spins this.
The so called government of America was the Karl Rove attempt to be a new order of global dominance.
Karl Rove was hired by the thugs that stole America and went to war as those that steal countries do, just ask Iraq and Libya, and all the countries now destroyed by the same faction that has taken Alabama and kept the state in the realm of really sadistic.
We blame Bush Jr. and Obama, but the reality is they are only being told what to do and do what they're told or get dead.
China and Russia stopped the American nightmare, but that is not to say they weren't here doing as much buying up of the sadists that could be purchased.
Now those that joined in to destroy their own country because they thought they were the new dictators of America, well they are going to learn the truth about living in earth on a finite planet with other countries that can nuke the sadists just like they are being nuked, no more power in the nuclear world.
and thanks for being on your game again Schnauzer, good to know the spirit of the greater has been reunited with the spirit of the greatest too.
all is spirit, beginning-middle-end, and that's the real that those who don't listen to spirit miss.
the corruption of the USA has met its' Waterloo at long last and your blog was indeed one of Napoleon's writing on the wall!
Sometimes people want to bring another faction down, because they want to replace it with their own faction. i.e. the war in Iraq brought down one faction, another was placed in the position and then it left them with ISIS.
The request to avoid having to testify because of what was previously said "at the office" might have been a "friend" simply trying to give someone a heads up or as the old saying goes, "not everyone who shits on you is your enemy". As in the case of the little bird, it got shit on by the cow and it saved the bird from freezing to death.
Why Hart is taking the actions he is? Sometimes, even people we don't like or some of their behaviours, they do have some sort of moral compass.
We can only hope the "riley" machine is "toasted" and Alabama can start new with a government which is interested in the citizens and taxpayers of the State. That the state once again becomes concerned with such mundane things as infrastructure, health care, housing, education, fair taxation, honest judges, etc.
I couldn't get past the section of his complaining about the violation of his First Amendment Rights. That is rich. I'm still laughing.
What goes around, comes around. Gee why do some get to have First Amendment rights and not bloggers?
That's a very interesting take, @8:20. I hadn't thought of it in those terms. Indian gaming money certainly seems to get to the "heart of the matter," to borrow a great phrase from Don Henley.
money when the stuff gets counted is in bags and weighed.
there is so much money that gets skimmed off the money that gets weighed.
Sheldon Adelson owns Las Vegas and Adelson is considered a top billionaire in the US, he purchases what he wants, but he lost millions on Romney.
gaming - gambling - money invested absent any real power to control the weight of all the money, priceless.
Even with the Abramnoff conviction, Riley and the Indian money never skipped a beat. Why do you think Luther is fighting with the Rileys and their allies so bad now? It has nothing to do with morals. Luther plans to run for governor after this term if he wins or even if he doesn't. He believes he should control the Indian money since he has quashed all attempts to operate in state bingo. Riley is no longer in office but still spends as he will the money the MS Indians invest in the purchase of our government. Riley nor the MS Indians have any plans to change thus and they see Luther as too unstable and his personal life and skeletons as too risky for them to deal with. If I were a betting person I think Sonny Reagan may have enough dirt to sink Luther ten times over. Luther will proceed cautiously with Sonny. He does need a scapegoat to cover all his mistakes and right now Sonny is it.
the time from now until 2016, is going to be a shake down
the usa has been told even by congress, no more war powers as an executive order
congress gone til november and the military and obama are not getting along and so the coup of the military to save the federal reserve note is on the wane
crashing wane
those that have participated in the hostile abandonment of the rule of law are getting some just deserts
we are in real change this time and the shuffling of the deck chairs is happening
A at 8:20 does have an interesting point. My question would be though, why haven't those with interests in the First Nations casinos/First Nations simply taken over politics of the state, instead of using a others who they have to "pay" $50 to $60M a yr, in political contributions or are those political contributions tax deductible in the state and therefore simply the "cost" of doing business.
I'm looking forward to more on this topic.
In case you forget, we are a racist state. The Redman has to purchase the face of the white man to do business in AL.
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