Pubdate: Wed, 09 May 2001
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2001 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Dan Eggen, Washington Post Staff Writer

BUSH PLANS TO TAP REP. HUTCHINSON TO RUN DEA

President Bush plans to nominate Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) to head the 
Drug Enforcement Administration, administration officials said yesterday.

The administrator, Donnie R. Marshall, told agency employees in a cable 
this week that his successor has been chosen, according to DEA spokeswoman 
Catherine Shaw. Hutchinson will be nominated later this week, according to 
several administration sources.

Hutchinson, 50, said in a statement that he has been in discussions with 
the White House about the DEA job, but he declined to say if he has been 
selected.

"An announcement of the intent to nominate can be made only by the 
president," Hutchinson said. "I am enjoying my work in Congress and my 
service to the people of Arkansas, and I will reserve additional comments 
pending new developments."

The DEA, an arm of the Justice Department that has an annual budget of $1.2 
billion, works to curb the importation and trafficking of illegal drugs.

Hutchinson, a former U.S. attorney serving his third term in the House, was 
one of the prosecutors during former president Bill Clinton's impeachment 
trial. His brother, Tim Hutchinson, is a U.S. senator from Arkansas.

Asa Hutchinson has established a reputation in the House as a strong 
conservative who supports tougher penalties for the sale and use of illegal 
drugs, particularly methamphetamine. He also has been a strong proponent of 
specialized local drug courts, which combine treatment and punishment for 
drug offenders.

Hutchinson, who must be confirmed by the Senate, had been considered a 
serious candidate earlier this year for the job of deputy attorney general, 
but his prospects were dimmed by his ties to his alma mater, Bob Jones 
University, the controversial South Carolina college that until recently 
banned interracial dating.

Hutchinson and Attorney General John D. Ashcroft accepted honorary degrees 
from Bob Jones at the school's 1999 graduation ceremonies, when Ashcroft 
was a senator. The appearance caused Ashcroft trouble during his 
confirmation hearings.
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