Mike Huckabee's letter to Pat Flanagin
- letter to state Rep. Pat Flanagin, D-Forrest City (Ark.), January 24, 1997
January 24, 1997
The Honorable Pat Flanagin
House of Representatives
State Capitol Building
Little Rock, AR 72201
Dear Mr. Flanagin:
One week ago, you began a personal crusade of attacking the
character and actions of members of the Post Prison Transfer Board,
officials of the Department of Corrections, members of the Governor's
staff, and the Governor himself. The result of these unfounded and
reckless accusations had been to impede the progress of the purpose for
which the House of Representatives has been constitutionally
assembled. The people's business of seriously addressing tax relief,
welfare reform, education, and medical care for the children of our
state, has been moved to the background so as to make time for silly
talk about subpoenas and House hearings.
As you know, I have submitted to Speaker Hogue a letter which
requests that we proceed with all dispatch to setting a time and place for
me to voluntarily appear before the appropriate committee, or the entire
House, and answer any and all questions regarding the case of Wayne
Dumond. I sincerely hope that even as they have been presented, which
would be the full House.
Please understand that your public and oft repeated comments are
unprecedented in their scale and scope. You did not merely raise a
voice of displeasure at the actions of the Post Prison Transfer Board,
but stated the you believed that there was evidence of criminal
wrongdoing by the Governor or his office. Words like, "felony, criminal
acts, and impeachable offense" were used by you despite the fact that
you have failed to produce one piece of evidence to substantiate such a
claim.
You have impugned the integrity of the members of the Post Prison
Transfer Board. Be reminded that these individuals were all originally
appointed by either ex-Governor Tucker, or then Governor, now
president Clinton, and its chairman currently serves as one of the
highest officials in your own political party. To allege that I have control
or even leveraged influence over them so that I could persuade them to
engage in offenses for which anyone could be incarcerated of trading in
office" is either ludicrous, or suggests that your confidence in my skills
as a politician are unmatched in the history of Arkansas politics. Given
the fact that the state has seen a former Attorney General, a former
Secretary of State, and a former Governor convicted of felony crimes, I
doubt that the seven members of the PPTB would be willing to risk all
to do the bidding of a Governor who did not originally appoint any of
them, and who, other than one well publicized and brief meeting on
October 31, 1996, had never met or had significant contact with me.
In the normal course of American jurisprudence, one is afforded the
presumption of innocence until PROVEN guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt. Documents and/or sworn testimony of eyewitnesses are required
to erase the presumption of one's innocence. So far, you have failed to
produce one scintilla of evidence which would so much as give slight
credibility to your outrageous charges. On the other hand, the public has
been provided with several documents from the Department of
Correction, Post Prison Transfer Board, and our office which refutes
these wild allegations. Not one person has stepped forward to legitimize
your speculations, while every person close enough to the issues to
speak with some credibility has firmly refuted your charges.
In 1993, when Governor Tucker was in Washington attending the
Inauguration of President Bill Clinton, then acting Governor Jerry
Jewell (in his capacity as President Pro-Tempore of the Senate),
actually PARDONED people convicted of crimes including murder. Did
you call for an investigation of that action? Did you take to the floor of
the House of Representatives, and suggest that crimes had been
committed," by either Senator Jewell or Governor Tucker?
During the time when Governor Tucker was actually under
indictment by a federal grand jury, at no time did a member of the
House or Senate (from EITHER POLITICAL PARTY) take to the
floor of their respective body and smear the Governor with charges of
impropriety as you did last week and again this week. Not even after
that Governor was convicted by a jury, and had his intentions of
resignation did you or a member of the House ask for the power to
subpoena the Governor so as to hold "hearings" as to his activities.
Your actions have not only severely damaged any relationship you
might have had with the Governor, his staff, members of the PPTB,
and the Department of Corrections, but it also has most decidedly
damaged a spirit of "good faith" that this Governor had with members
of the House Rules committee, who were unwilling to even act upon
any amendments to your resolution, but instead followed you down a
path to nowhere.
I hereby request that you immediately produce evidence or
eyewitnesses to your allegation, and ask that those you maligned be
given the opportunity to publicly respond to such evidence, or that you
take to the floor of the House today and issue a public apology to those
of us you falsely accused, as well as to your colleagues, and to the
people, whose business was impeded while these comments and
conduct occupied the lion's share of attention during a week of the
legislative session.
It is my belief that the overwhelming number of members of the
Senate and House are honorable people whose desire it is to work for
the interest of Arkansas. I have great confidence that these individuals
will put Arkansas first and politics last. I hope that the very few who
have with their voices of approval or their silence of agreement to your
actions seek to rebuild their relationships with the administration, so that
we might get back to giving full attention to the issues we were sent
here to take care of. It is my hope that the people of Arkansas will
contact their representatives and let them know if they feel that their
time and money is being well spent on these political expeditions, or
whether they prefer that those who want to start their own little
"Wayne-Water" hearing either "put up or shut up," and get on with the
agenda.
I would sincerely ask that you reply to my request with the same
level of dispatch with which you took to the floor last week to begin this
unfortunate episode.
Sincerely yours,
Mike Huckabee,
cc: Speaker of the House
Members of the House Rules Committee
Members of the 81st General Assembly