January 08, 2008
Oh, those emails

Remember how I said it looked like things might get worse for Chuck Rosenthal? Well, they just did, and this time there's collateral damage.


11 News has obtained hundreds of other Chuck Rosenthal e-mails, some that are racially and sexually charged.

Some of the most disturbing e-mails were exchanged between Rosenthal and his friend Sam Siegler.

Including one Aug. 16, titled "Slick Willy." The e-mail describes Bill Clinton as the closest thing to having a black man as president, because, "He played the sax..." "He smoked weed," and "He had his way with ugly white women."

It also said he doesn't work, but still gets a government check every month.

The very day after, Siegler e-mailed Rosenthal a video of unsuspecting women attacked on public streets. Men wearing hooded sweatshirts and sunglasses rip their clothes off, leaving them stunned and naked in public.

Rosenthal's office prosecutes sex crimes against women.

And who is Siegler?

Besides being Rosenthal's personal physician, Dr. Siegler is the husband of Assistant District Attorney and Republican Party District Attorney candidate Kelly Siegler.

His comments to us?

"I'm a private citizen. I'm a doctor, I'm his doctor, we're friends," Siegler said. "It's the United States of America, and I didn't think there was anything illegal about that particular e-mail.

"I didn't intend for it to be offensive. I didn't e-mail anybody that I thought would be offended by it."


Yeah, that sort of excuse always flies. And if Chuck Rosenthal really wasn't offended by such bigoted, sexist emails, then that tells us quite a bit about him, does it not?

Let's put aside the fact that many workplaces, presumably including Harris County workplaces, have restrictions on this kind of email, for which the sanctions can include termination. I'm actually willing to cut Chuck a bit of slack here if he was simply the recipient of these emails from his bozo friend. We all have someone in our lives who sends us emails we don't care for, right? As long as Rosenthal never forwarded them, or replied to them, that would mitigate his sins somewhat, at least from an HR perspective. It still speaks very poorly to his character, but it probably wouldn't get him fired.

But it turns out there are other problems:


Numerous messages deal with organizing his re-election barbecue fundraiser as well as finalizing his bio for his campaign website.

All of the e-mails surfaced during a federal civil rights lawsuit, in which two brothers claimed they were beaten and arrested by sheriff's deputies.

The district attorney's office provided hundreds of documents and video attachments. But in many of the e-mails, it's unclear exactly who sent what.

Including several files of hardcore pornography, too graphic to show on TV or on KHOU.com.


Campaign emails from government accounts is a big no-no, one that may violate election laws, and once again raise the question of who would be in charge of an investigation - hell, who would order one? As for the porn, well, I think we know why that would be bad. I should note that I'd heard some rumblings about the campaign emails last week, but didn't have sufficient confirmation to run with it. Good to see that it panned out.

So what's next? Remember, Chuck still has to face the judge on January 31 and explain why some 2000+ emails were deleted. Who knows what may come out between now and then? Stay tuned. Mark Bennett has more.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on January 08, 2008 to Scandalized!
Comments

From KHOU.com: More damning e-mails
uncovered in DA's office

More damning e-mails
uncovered in DA's office.

One e-mail photo was recovered from Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal's computer. Titled "Fatal Overdose," it depicts a black man lying on a sidewalk, surrounded by half-eaten pieces of watermelon and an empty fried chicken bucket.

Posted by: TJ Aulds on January 9, 2008 1:01 AM

"I didn't intend for it to be offensive. I didn't e-mail anybody that I thought would be offended by it."

I would sure like to know what Ellen Cohen thinks about it since this "bubba humor" is usually what gets a prosecutor to refuse charges in many sexual assault cases. Men are men. Women shouldn't get a man turned on. They do crazy things. Like "shark" them. And sometimes they pull the pants down as well as pull the blouses up. But all in fun of course. After all, men are men.

Hopefully the good doctor has sunk his wife's ship as well as Chuck Rosenthal's. And hopefully the rats on the SS Harris County Republican Party will not be able to jump ship before it goes down as well.

They talk about morality and "family values" and yet there doesn't appear to be much in the way of morality or much in the way of "family values."

I think the Sieglers should probably start a new career together. Making porno films. She certainly has mastered the art of "mounting" men.

Posted by: Baby Snooks on January 9, 2008 2:09 AM

Well, fruit don't fall far from the tree.
Kelly Seigler should not bother putting her name on the ballot. It's a given. Some one from the outside should take over in the D.A's office. I hope it all works out. I certainly will not vote for her.

Posted by: tiffany conway on January 9, 2008 9:02 AM

Remember these the same people that prosecuted cases in Harris County County House that used the H.P.D. Crime Lab and he Rosenthall even prosecuted a Former Top Cop Bradford where a jury found him not Guilty. Now I understand the mentality the radiants from Harris County D.A Office.

Posted by: leon clark on January 9, 2008 12:13 PM