Indicted Alabama speaker keeps platform for defense

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The re-election of indicted Rep. Mike Hubbard as speaker of the Alabama House gives him a powerful platform to defend himself as he awaits trial on charges that he used the speaker's office to benefit himself financially.

After his re-election, Hubbard said his focus is on leading the House for four more years and he won't let his upcoming trial deter him from continuing to make major changes in Alabama.

"I am concentrating on being speaker of the House. In time the truth will come out, and I'm not concerned about that," the Auburn Republican said.

Hubbard will sit in the speaker's chair as the leader of the House of Representatives, while simultaneously preparing for a trial on felony ethics charges. If convicted, he could be spending several years in a state prison rather than presiding in the Statehouse.

A grand jury assembled by the state attorney general's office indicted Hubbard in October on 23 ethics charges, accusing Hubbard of using his public offices to steer business to his companies and to solicit investments and clients from lobbyists. He has pleaded not guilty.

After his indictment, more than 20 House members joined him at a news conference in Auburn to show their support.

Voters in his Lee County district demonstrated their support by re-electing him Nov. 4 with 59 percent of the vote.

Then on Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats in the House gave him bipartisan support when 99 of the 105 members voted to re-elect him to a second four-year term as speaker. Five members were either absent or did not vote. The longest serving member of the House, Democrat Alvin Holmes of Montgomery, voted for himself.

In an interview after the vote, Holmes said he hopes Hubbard is acquitted, but he had concerns about voting for someone under indictment.

In the House's discussion Tuesday about electing a speaker, no one mentioned the words "indictment" or "charges."

Instead, House Majority Leader Micky Hammon of Decatur called Hubbard "a man of honor, a man of integrity, a man of honesty."

The only indication of the challenges Hubbard faces were in his acceptance speech. He told the House, "Over the past several months, this House has blessed my family and me with your prayers and constant expressions of support. Our home thanks this House for turning adversity into magnificent opportunity."

In an interview afterward, Hubbard said he's confident about his future because his re-election to the Legislature in November and the House vote Tuesday "are a pretty loud statement."

He said he was especially appreciative of Democratic support. "A Democrat can see what is going on. It could be any one of them in this situation. It's abuse of the system and a witch hunt," said Hubbard, who was the Republican minority leader in the House when it was controlled by Democrats prior to the 2010 election.

House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, said Democrats didn't have any choice but to vote for Hubbard because he was the only one nominated and the Democratic minority lacked the votes to elect an alternative.

He said Democrats won't make an issue of Hubbard's case when legislators return to Montgomery March 3 to start work on the state budgets. Instead, he said the minority will try to work in a bipartisan manner.

Before the Lee County grand jury investigation began, Hubbard and Attorney General Luther Strange were frequently mentioned as possible candidates for governor in 2018. Strange stepped aside from the Hubbard investigation and turned it over to former St. Clair County District Attorney Van Davis and Deputy Attorney General Matt Hart.

While Hubbard has criticized the prosecution repeatedly, the prosecution has made few public statements. But in November, Davis had enough of Hubbard's claims about a witch hunt. His issued a statement saying he has no political allegiances to anyone, including Strange, that would affect his role in the prosecution. He also said the prosecutors and investigators assigned to the case are not rogues and have conducted themselves at his direction and control.

"This is a public corruption case where Hubbard is charged with using his elected position in the House of Representatives to make money and obtain financial favors from lobbyists and others with interests before the Legislature," Hart wrote in a Jan. 5 court filing.

The same grand jury that indicted Hubbard also indicted Republican Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise on charges of lying to the grand jury. A Lee County jury acquitted Moore of all charges Oct. 30, and he won re-election Nov. 4 without opposition.

Hubbard said Moore's trial gives him confidence, and he hopes to use his upcoming trial to turn the tables on what he has repeatedly called a politically motivated prosecution.

"I look forward to just exposing what's going on. I think people are going to be shocked," he said.

Hubbard's trial in Opelika is tentatively set for March 9, but attorneys expect it to be delayed, possibly until after the upcoming legislative session ends in June.