AG: Time for Mike Hubbard to go to prison for ethics conviction
The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday refused to reverse its decision upholding much of the 2016 ethics conviction of former House Speaker Mike Hubbard, and the state attorney general said it’s time for the once powerful Republican to report to prison. Justices without comment turned down Hubbard’s request to rehear his case. The Alabama Supreme Court this spring overturned five of the counts in Hubbard’s ethics convictions while upholding six others. Prosecutors accused Hubbard of leveraging his powerful public office to obtain clients and investments for his businesses. His defense lawyers maintained the transactions were all aboveboard. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said it is time for Hubbard to begin serving his prison sentence. “The long road to justice is finally nearing its end for former Speaker Mike Hubbard,” Marshall said in a statement, adding that “all that remains is for him to report to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to be processed and turned over to the Alabama Department of Corrections.” “Mr. Hubbard can no longer avoid being held accountable for his flagrant violations of Alabama’s ethics law,” Marshall said. Hubbard’s attorney, David McKnight, said he is disappointed in the outcome and is reviewing options, which could involve additional appeals or seeking a reduced prison sentence since some counts were overturned. The attorney general’s office previously said his four-year sentence should be unchanged since the sentence was concurrent and not impacted by the overturned counts. “The next step for review of the remaining counts against Mike, that were not reversed by the Alabama appellate courts, is review by the United States Supreme Court. We have recommended this to Mike, and are optimistic that a full measure of appellate relief can be obtained in this manner,” Joel Dillard, another of Hubbard’s attorneys, wrote in an email. Hubbard was for years one of the state’s most powerful politicians until the conviction ended his career. Hubbard, the architect of the GOP’s takeover of the Alabama Legislature in 2010, was a legislator from Auburn and former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. He was elected House speaker soon after the Republicans consolidated their control. Hubbard was automatically removed from office after his 2016 felony conviction. A judge sentenced Hubbard to four years in prison, but he has been free on bond as he appeals his conviction. Many of the counts against Hubbard involve his work as a consultant. His defense argued those contracts were legitimate work and unrelated to his position as House speaker. The state argued that Hubbard was hired because of his political position, and therefore the pay he received violated the prohibition against giving a “thing of value” to an elected official. In upholding the conviction this spring, justices noted that when contacting a company for one client, Hubbard “identified himself as a state legislator and as Speaker of the House of Representatives.” They also noted how one company executive wrote in an email that Hubbard could get the company, “in front of any speaker in the country regardless of party.” The attorney general said Friday that Alabama needs stronger ethics laws. “As we’ve previously stated, this case was not just a trial of former Speaker Hubbard’s misconduct, but also a test of our ethics law. Hubbard campaigned in 2010 on the message that Alabama ‘sorely needed’ a stronger ethics law. Our ethics laws must be strengthened and protected in order to prevent a repeat of such cavalier violations in the future,” Marshall said. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Second amendment rights on the line with Doug Jones U.S. Senate reelection bid
On March 21, 2018, newly elected U.S. Senator Doug Jones gave his first-floor speech. The topic of his speech most certainly was one that is rarely heard from members of the Alabama delegation in either chamber – his support of gun control and restrictions on the nation’s Second Amendment rights. According to an NPR story, Jones said he was supportive of efforts that were discussed and later implemented after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, including, “moving to ban bump stocks that can convert guns into automatic-style weapons, efforts to strengthen the background check system.” He went on to say those restrictions weren’t enough. Jones “proposed making background checks universal, including on internet sales, at gun shows and even private sales, as well as implementing three-day waiting periods.” Jones has since tried to reframe his speech and its purpose. A Yellow Hammer news story cross-referenced his senate speech with an interview with Al.Com. In his speech, Jones said, “So while I know that guns and gun control are difficult issues for this country, I can tell you they’re complicated for me, too.” In his interview with Al.com, he backtracked, saying, “I didn’t make a speech about gun control. I made a speech about gun safety.” Doug Jones attracted the attention of NRA-ILA and its members when the national organization called upon him to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jones voted against Kavanaugh’s confirmation. A recent Ammoland editorial by Harold Hutchinson laid out additional arguments for electing Republican Tommy Tuberville over Jones. Electing Tuberville would help give Republicans an advantage in the Senate. He goes on to explain, “Jones did sign on to a version of the “For The People Act,” which for all intents and purposes he says is intended to silence grassroots opposition to left-wing politicians and causes, like gun control.” Hutchinson also noted in his piece that “Along with control of the Senate, the need for a Republican advantage lies in the ability to fill judicial vacancies. The next elected president will possibly fill the vacancies of judges like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, or Clarence Thomas. Donald Trump will certainly continue to nominate pro-Second Amendment judges, and if the Senate majority narrows, the nomination and confirmation of these judges could be stopped.” In contrast, Tuberville has openly stated his support for the Second Amendment. On his campaign website, Tuberville states, “While we are fighting out-of-touch liberals to protect life and liberty, we must also stand up for the time-honored traditions we hold dear in Alabama. Being a sportsman has always been a part of my life. That is why I will always vote to protect and preserve our Second Amendment rights.” In an interview with the Daily Mountain Eagle, Tuberville said, “A mental health plan is needed to address the mass shootings in the nation.” He added it once had one. Now he says the plan is to release prisoners to the streets. “There is not a gun problem. It is a people problem,” he said. “There’s been guns here forever. I’m not for any form or fashion of gun control. They’re are not taking my guns, because what happens is they are not looking to take guns because you want to hunt and do some casual shooting or target practice. They want to take your guns away so they can control you. In this country, we cannot do that. The Second Amendment says we are allowed to bear arms.” The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) endorsed Tuberville over Jones. Dudley Brown, a NAGR-PAC chairman, made a statement to Yellowhammer News. “Tommy Tuberville scored a perfect 100% on the NAGR survey and has pledged to support the Second Amendment and fight back against illegal gun grabs as a member of the U.S. Senate.”
Pritchard’s former chief of staff gets year in prison
He was also ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the City of Pritchard.
Donald Trump, on huge White House stage, decrying Joe Biden, radicals
As troubles churned outside the gates, Trump painted an optimistic vision of America’s future, including an eventual triumph over the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 175,000 people, left millions unemployed and rewritten the rules of society.
Protesters gather in an attempt to drown out Donald Trump’s speech
One protester held up a sign, “Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue”
