-Caveat Lector-
Notice served: Hale's in line for clemency
By SETH BLOMELEY
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Gov. Mike Huckabee late Monday gave notice that he intends to grant
clemency to Whitewater figure David Hale, who was convicted in 1999 of
falsifying insurance documents.
In 1996, Hale pleaded guilty to federal charges and cooperated with
independent counsel Kenneth Starr in Starr's successful prosecution of
former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker, a Democrat.
Tucker's resignation led to Huckabee, then the Republican lieutenant
governor, becoming governor on July 15, 1996.
"I don't think you can read anything into the decision," Huckabee
spokesman Rex Nelson said. "Various factors go into each decision the
governor makes."
Nelson said the governor wouldn't give reasons why he wants to
commute Hale's sentence to time served on the state insurance charge. He
said the governor's notice begins a 30-day public comment period.
Afterward, Huckabee will issue a final decision.
Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley, who prosecuted
Hale in Pulaski County Circuit Court on the state insurance charge, said
he wasn't happy and demanded a face-to-face meeting with Huckabee.
"Are you serious?" Jegley asked when told about the governor's
action. "I'd like to think the governor's politics didn't have anything
to do with it. I know him to be a compassionate man. He doesn't need to
be compassionate with a scoundrel like David Hale. [Hale] needs to pay
us his 21 days."
Jegley said he "eased up" during the trial on Hale. He said he could
have pushed for Hale to receive the maximum eight years. Jegley didn't
complain when the jury gave Hale only 21 days because of Hale's heart
problems. But Jegley said Hale, a former Pulaski County municipal judge,
deserves to serve some time. Hale hasn't served any time in jail beyond
the booking process, Jegley said.
David Bowden of Little Rock, Hale's attorney, wasn't immediately
available for comment Monday.
At 6 p.m. Monday, the governor's office released the notice to grant
clemency for Hale. Nelson said the people who work on the clemency
process work on a different floor and they brought the paperwork to the
press office late.
Nelson said he didn't know if Huckabee would agree to meet with
Jegley, which Jegley said he's owed. Nelson added that the governor's
office planned to "receive comment and not give comment" during the
30-day public comment period.
"I suspect the governor and I need to have a face-to-face
conversation about people who occupy positions of public trust abusing
their positions ... like Mr. Hale," Jegley said. "If the governor says
that Mr. Hale does not owe the people the minuscule 21 days imposed by
the jury, I would hope that he would pay me the courtesy of a
face-to-face conversation."
Hale, 59, is living in Shreveport. Bowden has said that any sentence
would be akin to a life sentence because of his client's poor health.
Hale was convicted of giving false information to state insurance
regulators about the financial health of the company he owned.
Prosecutors alleged that he put a $150,000 check into the bank account
of his company, National Savings Life Insurance Co., to show that it was
financially stable. Four days later, he gave the check back to a Texas
businessman.
On May 21, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case. Hale
had argued that his prosecution broke an immunity deal and was
politically motivated by Democrats because of his cooperation with
Starr.
In 1994, Hale pleaded guilty to two felony counts of defrauding the
federal Small Business Administration. His subsequent cooperation with
Starr led to convictions of Tucker as well as James and Susan McDougal,
partners with Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton in the White River land
development deal known as Whitewater.
This article was published on Tuesday, June 5, 2001
=======================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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