Prosecutors file motions to limit testimony in Mike Hubbard case
The state is asking a judge to prohibit House Speaker Mike Hubbard‘s defense from raising prosecutorial misconduct claims and other issues at his upcoming ethics trial. The attorney general’s office on Wednesday filed a series of motions seeking to limit arguments and testimony during the trial scheduled for May. Prosecutors asked a judge to prohibit Hubbard from trying to put a prosecutor on the witness stand to try to reopen a prosecutorial misconduct claim. State lawyers also sought to limit discussions of Hubbard’s lopsided 2014 re-election win, how much jail time Hubbard could face and other issues. Prosecutors said that testimony would distract jurors. They argue that jurors should focus on whether Hubbard used his public offices for personal financial gain. The Republican speaker faces 23 felony ethics charges. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
New committee to investigate allegations against Robert Bentley
The Alabama House of Representatives is expected to vote next week to establish a 15-person investigatory committee to probe the possible impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley. Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, said Wednesday he will propose a new rule to create the committee, which would have subpoena power and could meet after the Legislature adjourns. He added the House could vote on it by next Wednesday or Thursday. Henry would like to impose a six-month deadline on any committee investigation. Bentley last month acknowledged making sexually charged remarks to a female aide, who has since resigned. The admission came after former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier, a day after being fired by Bentley, accused the governor of having an affair and of interfering with law enforcement investigations. Bentley denies allegations of a physical affair and misuse of his office. Bentley said Tuesday there is “no basis” for impeachment. Henry had initially filed articles of impeachment accusing Bentley of “willful neglect of duty, incompetence, corruption and moral turpitude,” but said Wednesday the legislature quickly realized it had no framework to conduct an impeachment process. “”We never left square one,” Henry said. “What became crystal clear was that we do not have a mechanism to deal with this. We’ve been sitting on square one for the last eight days … and now we can move to step two.” House Speaker Mike Hubbard said Wednesday that he and the “vast majority of the House” think impeachment is “premature” at this juncture. “We have to be careful about these things,” Hubbard said. “We don’t know of any wrongdoing, we don’t know any of the facts yet.” Hubbard is currently facing 23 felony ethics charges of using his political offices to benefit his businesses. Bentley is expected to be a witness at his trial next month. Henry is confident he has the votes to establish the investigatory committee, and said the public’s appetite to pursue impeachment is only growing. He said a committee would be an “information gathering” body and have no power itself to move impeachment forward. Legislators can call an impeachment session at any time outside of the regular session and likely will if the committee finds probable cause, Henry said. Henry said the legislature believes it “inherently” has subpoena power but acknowledges that will likely be challenged. A bill currently in the Senate would allow committees to enforce subpoenas through the circuit courts. Alabama voters in November, as part of a piece-by-piece rewrite to the Alabama Constitution, will vote on changes to the part of the Alabama Constitution that deals with impeachment. The proposed change clarifies that it requires a two-thirds vote in the Alabama Senate to remove someone from office. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
GreeneTrack casino constitutional amendment fails in Alabama Senate
A proposal to add an amendment to the state constitution that would keep GreeneTrack’s bingo casino operational has failed. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro), failed Wednesday four votes shy of the necessary 21. Earlier this month, the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruled once again that electronic bingo is illegal in the Yellowhammer state, making the amendment’s passage necessary to continue operations at GreeneTrack. Singleton’s amendment would have limited “bingo gaming” in Greene County to “a licensed racetrack where pari-mutuel wagering is currently legal”; defined bingo to allow it to be played on electronic machines; and it would have transferred oversight of bingo from the sheriff to a Greene County Gaming Commission.
Outside groups deal themselves in for GOP delegate game
After burning through millions of dollars in a mostly failed attempt to sway Republican primary voters, big-money outside groups opposing Donald Trump have turned to a far smaller target audience: the delegates who will actually choose the presidential nominee. Our Principles, which is devoted to keeping Trump from winning, and super PACs backing Ted Cruz and John Kasich are spending their time and money researching the complex process of delegate selection and reaching out to those party insiders. None of the groups have put up ads for Tuesday’s New York primary. Delegates are the people – typically longtime Republicans and state party activists – who will have their say at the GOP convention this summer in Cleveland if Trump does not lock up the nomination first in the remaining voting contests. The hot pursuit of such low-profile people by outside groups is yet another unprecedented twist in a history-defying presidential primary season. The delegate focus comes after the groups’ earlier efforts turned out to be money not particularly well spent. GOP-aligned groups spent at least $218 million on presidential television and radio ads, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media‘s CMAG. In one example, last month Our Principles put $2.3 million into ads trying to persuade Florida voters to ditch Trump, but he won the state anyway. “At this stage, the delegate fight is the most important part of the race,” said Tim Miller, a spokesman for Our Principles. “The work we’re doing on it is how we get the biggest bang for our buck.” The Trump, Cruz and Kasich campaigns all pay specialists to help them with their own delegate strategy. Yet the outside groups can’t resist crafting a role for themselves. By law, candidates cannot direct their helpful super PACs on how to spend money on paid communications. However, candidates and the outside groups keep a close eye on what the others are doing. At a donor event last weekend at the Venetian casino resort in Las Vegas, pro-Cruz super PAC officials explained to a rapt audience how they are diving into data about Republican delegates. That super PAC event took place on the same floor as a Cruz campaign finance event, which delved into similar material. Douglas Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Convention, said the organizational nature of a potential delegate fight plays into Cruz’s strengths. The Texas senator has cultivated relationships with conservative leaders across the country. Now they’re helping him woo delegates. “Cruz hasn’t done things in haphazard fashion,” said Heye, who opposes Trump but is otherwise unaligned. “It takes a real team and the hard work of surrogates and coalitions to succeed at mastering the process in all 50 states.” New Day for America, a super PAC backing Kasich, is “executing a delegate outreach strategy,” said spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp. She declined to give details. — THE FREE AGENTS There are two phases to this fight for delegates. The first involves free agents in states where voters don’t have a say. Each time an anti-Trump delegate is selected, it gets a little harder for the front-runner to reach the 1,237 he needs to avoid a contested convention. Our Principles has keenly focused on these delegates, who hail from North Dakota, Colorado and Wyoming. The group began reaching out via online advertising back in February, Federal Election Commission filings show. It then worked the phones and mailed literature. Finally, at the state convention site in Colorado Springs last weekend, three of its paid employees and about a half-dozen volunteers distributed “voter guides” likening Trump to President Barack Obama. In both Colorado and North Dakota, Trump was shut out of delegates. Wyoming selects delegates this weekend. — POTENTIAL CONVERTS If Trump can’t win outright, most of the delegates who are initially pledged to him by state rules gain the freedom to vote at the convention for whomever they choose. That’s why the three candidates are looking to make friends with them. Incidentally, there are few rules limiting the ways candidates and outside groups can influence the delegates, Republican election lawyers say. So it’s easy to imagine a deep-pocketed super PAC paying for delegates’ accommodations in Cleveland and giving them other perks. Our Principles’ Miller said the group is assessing what it will do in this second phase of the delegate hunt. Another Trump opponent, the Washington group Club for Growth, has also at least temporarily stopped its TV ads. Spokesman Doug Sachtelben said that while it hasn’t done anything with delegates yet, “nothing is off the table.” Pro-Trump forces are also keen to get into the game. “We’re running ads and a data program to fill as many delegate slots as we can with delegates who like Trump,” said Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Great America PAC. The group has reported to the FEC its plans to spend more than $1 million in ads across the country – some aiming to whip up anger about a potential contested convention. “Donald Trump will have the most delegates by a wide margin, but the GOP establishment is determined to deny him the nomination in any way possible, even if it means a contested convention,” a narrator says in one. Callers are asked to give money to the super PAC as a show of support for Trump. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Impeachment action against Robert Bentley slows
The proposed impeachment of Gov. Robert Bentley has stalled as legislators work to establish an investigatory committee to probe the issue. Bentley on Tuesday said he hopes the impeachment process against him is losing steam. Rules Chairman Mac McCutcheon says the issue is a “priority,” but wouldn’t speak to a specific timeline. Bentley last month admitted to making sexually charged remarks to a female aide but has denied a physical affair or misuse of his office. Legislators say framework is needed for the impeachment process, which is unprecedented and only loosely outlined in the state Constitution. Republican Rep. Mike Ball, who supported the original impeachment resolution, says there is a “distinct possibility” legislators could call a special meeting after the session if the committee finds probable cause. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Jackie Zeigler wins State School GOP Board run-off, ousting incumbent Matt Brown
Retired teacher and principal Jackie Zeiger won a run-off election Tuesday evening against Matt Brown, becoming the next Republican nominee for Alabama State School Board, District 1. Zeigler, the wife of State Auditor Jim Zeigler, dispatched her opponent easily, taking 62 percent to Brown’s 38. Zeigler will face off against Democratic nominee Ron Davis, a former Prichard mayor, in a November general election. Although Zeigler says she will still campaign heartily against Davis — “I’m not packing by bags,” she told AL.com — any Democrat would have a difficult time beating a credible Republican in the seven-county South Alabama district. Zeigler had 37 years of teaching and administrative experience to bring to bear against her 29-year-old opponent in Brown, but there was also likely an aspect of blowback against the official who appointed Brown — Gov. Robert Bentley, who is currently mired in scandal after inappropriate advances comments to a former staffer. Brown was appointed to the school bard by Bentley after his predecessor, Al Thompson, was chosen by Bentley for the state Community College Board of Trustees. ‘ Zeigler and Brown faced off in a primary election back on March 1, with Zeigler edging Brown for the most votes with 36.79 of ballots cast to Brown’s 26.35 percent. But since neither garnered a majority, the election triggered a run-off. The District 1 seat is a single-member district that takes in the counties of Baldwin, Butler, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Escambia and Mobile, plus the aforementioned Covington.
Election 2016: Alabama runoff election results
Alabama voters returned to the polls Tuesday to decide runoff races 41 of Alabama’s 67 counties to choose party nominees for the November General Election. Only races that didn’t have a majority of votes in the March 1, 2016 Primary Election held a runoff election. By Alabama law, a candidate must receive of at least 50 percent to be declared a winner and avoid a runoff. Statewide Results State Board of Education: Member District 1 Matthew Brown: 38.6% Jackie Zeigler: 61.4% – WINNER State Board of Education: Member District 7 Jim Bonner: 37.9% Jeff Newman: 62.1% – WINNER Circuit Court Judge, 10th Judicial Circuit: Place 11 Brendette Brown Green: 51.6% – WINNER Linda Hall: 41.4% Circuit Court Judge, 10th Judicial Circuit: Place 25 Roderick “Rod” Evans: 27.1% Reginald L. Jeter: 72.8% – WINNER Circuit Court Judge, 10th Judicial Circuit: Place 26 Michael Steely: 53.5% – WINNER Everett W. Wess: 46.5% Circuit Court Judge, 18th Judicial Circuit: Place 4 Lara McCauley Alvis: 51% – WINNER Patrick Kennedy: 49% District Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit Patrick B. “Pat” Jones: 56.4% – WINNER Gary Ray Maxwell: 43.6% For specific county results, please visit the Alabama Votes website.
Former state attorneys generals request pardon for former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman
More than 100 former state attorneys general from across the country want the President Barack Obama to pardon former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who’s serving a 6 ½ year prison sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice. According to the Associated Press, the pardon request was sent to the White House on Wednesday. In 2006, a federal jury convicted Siegelman of federal funds bribery on allegations that he sold a seat on a hospital regulatory board to former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy in exchange for $500,000 in donations to Siegelman’s unsuccessful 1999 campaign to get Alabama voters to approve a state lottery. Siegelman was also convicted of obstruction of justice. In January the U.S. Supreme Court denied to hear an appeal from Siegelman, making a presidential pardon his last hope to reduce his sentence. Siegelman, now 70, has been serving his sentence at a Louisiana prison camp since his conviction, and is scheduled to be released in 2017.
Alabama Legislature approves bills legalizing industrial hemp
The Alabama Senate overwhelmingly passed SB347 Tuesday evening, a bill legalizing the research and regulation of industrial hemp—the non-intoxicating version of the cannabis plant. A similar, but not identical, bill passed the Alabama House earlier in the day. “There is enormous economic potential for the use of industrial hemp, which can be used in the production of insulation materials, yarns, textiles, and auto parts,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Paul Bussman, a Cullman Republican. “This proposal will allow our colleges and universities to investigate industrial hemp’s full potential. I believe industrial hemp could be a huge benefit to our Alabama’s agriculture, but I’m glad we’re taking this initial step approving research before we consider legalization for economic production,” Should either house adopt the other’s version of the bill, and it is signed by Gov. Robert Bentley, Alabama will become the 29th state to legalize the cash crop. The bills would allow the state’s colleges and universities to research the plant and its properties, and allow the Department of Agriculture and Industries to license growers in the state. Any revenues from the licensing and taxing of industrial hemp would be earmarked for the Department of Agriculture. The Department’s commissioner, John McMillan, celebrated the bill’s passage in a press release. “I want to commend Senator Bussman for his leadership on this issue and for his willingness to seek alternative cash crops for Alabama farmers,” said McMillan. “We look forward to the potential research opportunities this legislation provides our state institutions of higher education.” In their support of the bill, Sen. Bussman and the House version’s sponsor, Rep. Ken Johnson, cited a white paper written by Auburn University detailing the plant’s uses in the creation of food, fuel, in textiles, and other raw materials. The white paper also found the crop grows well in all of the Yellowhammer State’s soils in climates, and requires the use of few pesticides or fertilizers, making it an attractive and inexpensive commodity for Alabama’s many farmers.
Confusion surrounds Eagle Forum as Alabama’s Eunie Smith joins effort to oust group’s leadership
A dispute over the future direction of Phyllis Schlafly‘s socially conservative Eagle Forum group surfaced this week. Schlafly, 91, who remains the face of the organization she created 44 years ago, took to Facebook Sunday to first raise the red flag of a suspected organizational coup: Dear Friends of Eagle Forum, In recent days, you may have heard about some issues we are having at Eagle Forum. I am grateful for your concern for me and our work. For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, some people have been working to attack me and Eagle Forum. My disappointment is compounded by the fact that these are people with whom I have worked closely in the past. I have asked them to resign from the Board immediately so that we may continue our important work. We have many important fights to win — from opposing abortion to defeating Common Core, stopping misguided efforts to convene a Constitutional Convention, and making sure that the platform of the Republican Party is a sound statement of conservative principles. The Chinese Communists are on the move as Europe falters under its misguided policies of trade and immigration. And we have a vacancy on the Supreme Court that we must not allow Obama to fill. With your help, I’m confident that we can prevail in these critical battles so that our great nation will prosper. Thank you again for your assistance in stopping the hostile takeover of Eagle Forum. Faithfully, Phyllis Schlafly The post was accompanied with a letter asking Eunie Smith of Alabama, Anne Cori of Missouri, Cathie Adams of Texas, Rosina Kovar of Colorado, Shirley Curry of Tennessee, and Carolyn McLarty of Oklahoma to resign immediately from the Eagle Forum board. Although Schlafly feared the board was planning to oust her from the organization for endorsing controversial GOP front-runner Donald Trump in March, according to Cathie Adams, former Texas Eagle Forum president the actual target was the organization’s president, Ed Martin. Adams said it was a question of Martin’s leadership and poor management skills. On Monday, the same six board members Schlafly asked to resign released a statement corroborating Adams statement explaining, “the Board of Eagle Forum voted to remove Mr. Ed Martin as President of the corporation, effective immediately.” Schlafly was none too pleased with the decision. “At 2 pm today, 6 directors of Eagle Forum met in an improper, unprecedented telephone meeting. I objected to the meeting and at 2:11 pm, I was muted from the call,” Schlafy detailed. “The meeting was invalid under the Bylaws but the attendees purported to pass several motions to wrest control of the organization from me. They are attempting to seize access to our bank accounts, to terminate employees, and to install members of their own Gang of 6 to control the bank accounts and all of Eagle Forum.” Schlafly hired Martin in January 2015 to be president of both the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the political arm that operates as a 501(c)(4) group. “The board meeting today was called to discuss the future of Eagle Forum,” Adams told WND. “But it is unconscionable to think we’ve called the meeting to replace Phyllis. It was very different when Phyllis was doing everything, including finances, and we all trusted her without question. But now there’s other people involved and it’s only wisdom on the part of the board to hold a meeting and check.”
