Alabama House Speaker goes to court this morning to protect his name in an ethics case

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) – A prosecutor’s conversations with a political operative will take center stage in House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s ethics case.

Lee County Circuit Judge Jacob Walker scheduled a Thursday morning hearing in Hubbard’s request to dismiss the case because of what he called “gross misconduct” by prosecutors.

Political consultant Baron Coleman submitted an affidavit saying he had dozens of conversations with prosecutor Matt Hart.

Coleman said he concluded the information came from the grand jury and started a whisper campaign to damage Hubbard.

Defense lawyers have subpoenaed any recordings done by Coleman.

Prosecutors have said Coleman was a confidential informant and the conversations were proper.

However, defense lawyer Lance Bell told Walker in an earlier hearing that Hart, on one recording, told Coleman that he was a source but not an informant.

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