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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D