Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Ball Wants To Limit Investigation Into Lawmakers

By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter

MONTGOMERY—For months it has been rumored that certain lawmakers wanted to pass legislation that would limit the Attorney General’s Office from investigating those in the State legislature.

During his testimony on Wednesday, Rep. Mike Ball (R-Madison) confirmed that he thought there was a need to pass such legislation. 

Ball took the stand at a motions hearing in the felony case of Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn). He recounted a conversation he had last October with Matt Hart, Division Chief of the Attorney General’s Special Prosecution Unit, whose investigation led to the indictment of Hubbard on 23 felony counts of public corruption.

Ball testified that Hart called him after he had appeared on a talk radio program. During the show, Ball said he thought the arrest of Hubbard was politically motivated.

Ball said he told Hart that State law was needed to avoid such prosecutions in the future. He said that even after all of the evidence that has been revealed about Hubbard, he still believes his indictments were political.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Though there has been no evidence presented to back-up Ball’s claim, the Hubbard spin machine has been trying to make that case since 2013. 

Over the last several months, speculation in the political world has focused on Hubbard driving legislation that would confine law enforcement’s ability to investigate and prosecute member of the political class.

When the Republican supermajority took control of the State House in 2010, they passed what they claimed were the toughest ethics laws in the country. These are the laws under which Hubbard is accused of violating.

In an email to former Gov. Bob Riley, Hubbard lamented the tough laws, saying, “What were we thinking.” 

It seems now that other legislators are wondering the same thing. 

While on the witness stand, Ball said as a member of the House Judiciary it was his responsibility to pass legislation that would put an end to what he characterized as politically tainted prosecutions.

Ball, who served in law enforcement for 25 years, retired as a corporal from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Lee County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Walker, III, allowed Ball to testify even though he said he didn’t see how Ball’s testimony was relevant to Hubbard’s indictments.

While being questioned by Hubbard’s attorney, J. Mark White, Ball recalled, with great clarity, certain segments of the conversation he had with Hart in October. But, under cross, he had no recollection of the subjects Hart said they discussed. On several occasions during cross examination, Ball lost his temper, raising his voice from tenor to alto, flailing his arms and pointing at Hart.

Now, it appears Ball favors limiting law enforcement’s ability to investigate lawmakers in the future.

 

Bill Britt is editor-in-chief at the Alabama Political Reporter and host of The Voice of Alabama Politics. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.

More from APR

Courts

Hubbard will pay $1,000 per month for the next 17 years to cover his fines, court costs and other fees owed to the state.

Legislature

The committee will begin actually crafting the new legislation in the new year, just before the start of the new legislative session.

State

Hubbard, originally sentenced to four years for violating ethics laws, has been in the custody of the ADOC since September 2020.

Courts

The challenge to Alabama's law originated from a dispute related to the Mike Hubbard public corruption trial.