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Bentley's Handpicked Attorney General Kills Prosecution of Jefferson County Officials

By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on May 4, 2017

Steve Marshall, former Governor Robert Bentley's handpicked attorney general, has effectively killed the prosecution of a group of state and local Jefferson County, Alabama officials on ethics violations and public corruption charges. Marshall's decision to kill these prosecutions was made over the strong objections of Special Prosecutions Division Chief Matt Hart. The two men almost came to blows recently over Marshall's decision to kill the prosecution of these cases.

The cases in question have been investigated since October and are ready for presentation to a Jefferson County grand jury for indictments. The would-be defendants in these cases include: (a) at least four Birmingham city council members, (b) up to four past and present members of city boards and agencies, (c) at least two vendors associated with these boards and agencies, (d) up to four staff members of these boards and agencies, and (e) up to twenty-one Democratic and Republican Jefferson County-area members of the Alabama House and Senate. Many of the lawmakers are very close to the Business Council of Alabama and former House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

Many of the cases against these officials and vendors have been characterized by sources close to the investigations as "open and shut" cases of ethics violations and public corruptions. Some of these officials have even confessed to their participation in wrongdoing. Yet, Marshall will not prosecute them.

Alice Martin, the former Chief Deputy Attorney General, and Hart investigated and developed the cases against these public officials and individuals. Marshall forced Martin out of the AG's office in February. Marshall is now trying to force Hart's resignation by humiliating his team of prosecutors and essentially granting amnesty to the Jefferson County officials, staff members, and vendors.

The promise of more than $1.5 million in campaign cash to Marshall from allies and supporters of convicted felon Mike Hubbard is fueling Marshall's decision to allow serial public corruption offenders to escape prosecution. To the surprise of many, this situation has turned into a full-blown "campaign cash for freedom" scandal that is being orchestrated and implemented by an attorney general who was handpicked by a convicted ex-governor and who is being financed in his election campaign by associates of a convicted ex-House Speaker.

After just three months on the job, Marshall has emerged as the pride and joy of the Business Council of Alabama and the oligarchy of rich donors who financed the GOP movement that stormed the State House in 2010. From his attorney general's platform, Marshall is single-handedly dismantling ethics reform in state government. The would-be public corruption defendants in Jefferson County are privately calling Steve Marshall the "Deliverer".

Donald V Watkins