One hell of a corruption case: Here's the part Josh Marshall left out...

The question is, as Josh Marhsll notes, "Did Karl Rove sic the Justice Department on former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D)?" Marshall's video presentation summarizes the facts of the case admirably, and I urge you to go here and watch it.

Alas, Marshall ignores a juicy part of the story. You can find it in this Harper's piece. You see, the main "inside" evidence against Rove comes from an affidavit by one Dana Jill Simpson. After she revealed what she knew, she ran into some unusual troubles:

The response to Simpson’s affidavit has been a series of brusque dismissive statements – all of them unsworn – from others who figured in the discussion and the federal prosecutor in the Siegelman case, who has now made a series of demonstrably false statements concerning the matter. She’s been smeared as “crazy” and as a “disgruntled contract bidder.” And something nastier: after her intention to speak became known, Simpson’s house was burned to the ground, and her car was driven off the road and totaled. Clearly, there are some very powerful people in Alabama who feel threatened. Her case starts to sound like a chapter out of John Grisham’s book The Pelican Brief. However, those who have dismissed Simpson are in for a very rude surprise. Her affidavit stands up on every point, and there is substantial evidence which will corroborate its details.

Emphasis added. This is a big story.