From: Mark Keesee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Monday, November 23, 1998 Huckabee's files uncover the life of a public official BILL SIMMONS ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Records of a former employee of Gov. Mike Huckabee include numerous letters and notes pertaining to Huckabee's involvement in the U.S. League for Freedom and Democracy. The governor has defended his involvement in the league and its World League associate, including his role as chairman of the U.S. league in 1994 and 1995. The league has representatives in more than 100 nations, Huckabee said, working for free enterprise and democratic principles. It has been good for Arkansas for him to be involved in the organizations and to become acquainted with world leaders and the movement that the league bolsters, he said. Huckabee has attended league events in Taiwan, Moscow, New York and Washington. He became involved through a friend, Bruce Potter of East Orange, N.J., the U.S. league's secretary-general. State records indicate Huckabee's role in the league: State telephone records from his days as lieutenant governor show about 60 calls, at taxpayers' expense, from the office to the league's telephone numbers, generally at small costs. Huckabee used $707.03 in tax funds to purchase and send thank-you notes and books as gifts pertaining to his trip to Taiwan. WILLIAMS RELEASED DOCUMENTS The documents were released by ex-employee Kamala Williams, who worked for Huckabee when he was lieutenant governor and then in 1996-97 managed the Governor's Mansion for Huckabee. The records are available under the state Freedom of Information Law at the office of the governor, on 49 diskettes that she turned in when she was asked to hand them over and resign early this year. The office has released 32 diskettes, withholding the other 17 on grounds that they contain material exempt from disclosure. However, disclosable portions of those diskettes are available in printed form, the office said. Williams has accused Huckabee and the first lady of misusing funds from the state's Mansion Allowance, which totals $60,000 a year, by spending some of it on personal items. The governor has denied wrongdoing. He has called Williams disgruntled and unstable. He and his spokesman, Rex Nelson, have said the records she has released may have been altered. She has denied altering them. When shown specific records that Williams released, Huckabee spokesmen have said that they recognize some as authentic, but couldn't verify the authenticity of others. Last week, Huckabee decided not to answer press questions about these matters because the lawsuit that two taxpayers filed over the Mansion Allowance and a $71,000 gift of furniture to the Huckabees is pending in circuit court in Little Rock. Huckabee and a spokesman did not answer questions that had been raised months ago about how Huckabee's trips to league events were financed. One document from the diskettes was a 1994 letter to a World League official in Taiwan giving him the account number and bank routing number for a Texarkana bank account in the name of the Huckabees. The letter does not explain why the information was given to that official. Williams said that as best she remembered it was giving the official information he needed to transfer funds to the Huckabees' bank account to pay expenses of a trip Huckabee was about to make to a league event in Taipei, Taiwan. Huckabee staff members did work related to Huckabee's league activities on their lieutenant governor's office work time, she said. Though Huckabee's role in the league was little-known in Arkansas, it was mentioned from time to time, such as an occasion when Huckabee was involved in league business and then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker was out of state, resulting in a state senator being acting governor at the time. LETTERS POINT TO LEAGUE Huckabee drew attention to his league activities in letters to prominent Americans, including a 1994 letter to then-U.S. Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kansas; a 1995 letter invited world-renowned physicist Edward Teller of Stanford, Calif., to address a league meeting; a 1995 letter asked New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for a proclamation welcoming the league's meeting in the city; and a 1995 letter thanking then-White House senior adviser Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty for Huckabee's visit at the White House with McLarty, President Clinton and others referred to a league meeting that would take place within a few weeks. Among the documents from Williams was the text of an article that appeared under Huckabee's byline with the headline "What Price Freedom?" in several newsletters of the U.S. league. Huckabee had made these remarks in a speech at a league meeting in Moscow. Williams said he later dictated his speech and she transcribed it for him, resulting in it being among the records. A number of the documents were thank-you letters for gifts he received from foreign officials, particularly Taiwanese, when he was involved in league activities. A May 7, 1996, memo to Huckabee from Williams said Potter had suggested that if Huckabee intended to pass the chairmanship to someone else, he could do it through Potter. A "To Whom It May Concern" note conferred authority on Potter to act on behalf of Huckabee. The memo also suggested that in his contact with mainland China's U.N. ambassador, Huckabee should play down Taiwan's role in the league. Browsing through the records reveals bits and pieces of what it's like to be lieutenant governor and governor. There are occasional things political, including letters to people who volunteered to work for Huckabee's campaign or for Dole's bid for the presidency, and others: A Feb. 26, 1996, note to one of Huckabee's 1996 U.S. Senate race consultants, Bruce Lott, called for clarification of how to handle calls from the press. The note said Lott and Huckabee were supposed to discuss each press inquiry and decide who would make a response and what the response would be. "Mike has always had a pretty strict policy that nobody talks to the press without his say-so," Williams said. An undated note said staff member Lauren McDonald wanted to "do something in [the] Newport area for you ... before the primary." She also wanted a list of Republicans who might be interested in attending a breakfast in Little Rock for U.S. Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas. [When McDonald was resigning from Huckabee's lieutenant governor staff, she wrote him a memo that expressed high regard for him, but mentioned that he asked employees to do work that "walks the fence of ethical behavior from tax-paid staff." Huckabee has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.] To a certain extent, doing such things on taxpayer time is unavoidable, Williams said, because they arrive during work hours by telephone or mail. Generally Huckabee ended his letters with "Sincerely yours," but he used "Sincere best wishes" in others and in letters to certain religious figures he closed with "Because He lives." A letter to James and Shirley Dobson thanked them for allowing Huckabee to be a guest on Focus on the Family and encouraged them to come enjoy Arkansas' lakes. "I have several friends who own beautiful lake accommodations," Huckabee wrote. "I am sure one of these could be made available to you." A former Baptist minister, Huckabee expressed religious views in some letters and engaged in bits of pastoral practice: In replying to a letter from a young man who was about to wed, Huckabee sent a book on preparation for marriage. To help a Henderson State University student doing research on "Religion in the Media," Huckabee offered three lines of thought: Religion doesn't get enough coverage in the media; the coverage it gets, aside from religion sections, generally is cynical or negative toward religion; coverage of religion generally is done unfairly. The governor encouraged one writer to "strive for excellence in your personal and spiritual life," noting with delight the fellow's involvement with Promise Keepers, an organization that encourages men to keep their wedding vows and implement certain principles in their families. Sometimes he just seemed to be trying to help somebody for being nice, like a letter he wrote to American Airlines to rave about the work of an American Airlines employee known to Huckabee only by the name Donna. A couple of letters went to the state prison: In one dated July 11, 1994, Huckabee told inmate Wayne Dumond of near Forrest City that a friend had discussed Dumond's case with Huckabee. "It is one of the reasons I hope we can visit," Huckabee wrote. As governor, he expressed sympathy for Dumond's situation and considered granting clemency to Dumond, but didn't grant it. One dated April 3, 1995, asked state prison officials to allow a Texarkana police officer to be a witness to the execution of Richard Wayne Snell. The officer had been a lifelong friend of one of Snell's victims and appealed to Huckabee for help in getting clearance to witness the execution. Some items appeared to reflect somebody's personal interests: An undated certificate form titled "Therapeutic Gift of Health" identified Dawn Cook as a licensed massage therapist. She was an employee of Huckabee when he was lieutenant governor and works for him now in the governor's office. She said Williams created that form for her. Williams said she remembered one that was created for the first lady, but didn't remember this one. A page of typed quotations from the New Testament. Example: "Hebrews 6:10 'God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.' " Williams said such an item could have been part of a speech or any number of other things, but she didn't recall it specifically. FAMILY FILES Some involved family members, family events, family favorites and family friends: "Favorite recipes of the first lady," explaining how to make fudge pie, breakfast casserole, corn casserole, pound cake, easy lasagna. Schoolchildren doing cookbooks for school sales, as well as mansion visitors, are interested in such things, so they were kept on file and printed out as needed. An announcement: "Sarah Huckabee Turns 14," inviting friends, most of them from Texarkana, to the mansion for a birthday event. A biographical sketch of the first lady. A letter congratulating Beth Ann Rankin upon being named Miss Arkansas. "Janet and I along with all three of our children were ecstatic with your selection," Huckabee wrote. Many notes contained requests that Huckabee attend groundbreakings, ribbon-cuttings and other events. One such request included this: "Marty says he thinks this is important for you to attend because of potential future financial support." This was advice from Marty Ryalls, then of the state Republican Party, Williams said. There were scores of letters from the first lady inviting others to help programs aimed at bolstering immunizing children against diseases. Some inquiries were aimed at giving Huckabee advance word of coming events or soliciting his help in buttering up visitors: A request by an aluminum company representative for Huckabee to meet with several plant representatives about a lawsuit the company planned to file against the federal government. A request by the state industrial recruitment agency for Huckabee to help give "royal treatment" to a visiting Japanese steel company executive. A form letter from Huckabee congratulated young men who achieved Eagle Scout, another explained to inquirers the duties of the office of lieutenant governor, a third stated his position on abortion. Other notes: A May 24, 1996, memo told Huckabee that Colleen Nick of Alma had called to ask him to speak at an event on behalf of Nick's missing daughter, Morgan. "After the many letters and calls made by Mike on their behalf, she especially wants him there if at all possible," the memo said. A June 17, 1996, letter from Huckabee thanked Sheriff Boyd Durr of Natchitoches, La., for deputy Layne Lacaz's help to Janet and the family on June 15. He changed a tire on their car after one went flat. An April 24, 1996, note said U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey wanted Huckabee to call quickly and that he wanted Huckabee to participate in a Hot Springs Country Club tennis tournament. A letter thanked lawyer Walter Skelton of Little Rock, a lobbyist, for a copy of President Nixon's last book. Skelton's knowledge of state government and his friendship were helpful to him, Huckabee said. DIFFERENCE OF OPINION Some letters reflected Huckabee's desire not to imitate or endorse the views of other public figures: In a 1994 letter to a Fort Smith couple, Huckabee said he was appalled that the state of Arkansas would be rehiring former Health Department director and former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. "Please know that I completely share your views on this topic and will join with others here in the Capitol to find any way possible to prevent our tax dollars from having to subsidize such viewpoints which are contrary not only to our collective conscience but to Arkansas' laws (i.e., homosexuality and abortion)." In a letter expressing support for the release of a state prison inmate, Huckabee said, however, he did not want to "take any actions which would be similar to the Jerry Jewell situation of 1993." Jewell, a state senator from Little Rock, used gubernatorial clemency power while acting as governor to cut several prison sentences, freeing some convicts. Later legislation curbed the power of acting governors to take such actions. Some documents gave bits of insight into how state government really works: A Jan. 25, 1996, reminder to Huckabee that then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker would be out of state mentioned that Richard Weiss, director of the state's finance department, usually deals with decisions on whether to close state agencies when the weather is bad. Copyright © 1998, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- GRAB THE GATOR! FREE SOFTWARE DOES ALL THE TYPING FOR YOU! Tired of filling out forms and remembering passwords? Gator fills in forms and passwords with just one click! Comes with $50 in free coupons! <a href=" http://clickme.onelist.com/ad/gator4 ">Click Here</a> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
