Pubdate: Wed, 09 May 2001 Source: New York Post (NY) Copyright: 2001 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc. Contact: http://nypostonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/296 Author: Brian Blomquist W. PICKS IMPEACH LEADER TO HEAD DEA President Bush has tapped Rep. Asa Hutchinson, who helped lead the House impeachment of Bill Clinton, to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, congressional sources said yesterday. Arkansas Republican Hutchinson, 50, served on the House Judiciary Committee that drew up and passed the impeachment articles against Clinton in the fall of 1998. Hutchinson, a former U.S. attorney, also was one of the "managers" who argued in the Senate for Clinton's removal from office in early 1999, although the Senate voted to leave him in office. Hutchinson argued that Clinton "used whatever means available to evade the truth, destroy evidence [and] tamper with witnesses" as he tried to cover up his sexual fling with one-time intern Monica Lewinsky. Hutchinson's voting record in the House has been that of a fiscal and social conservative, and he graduated from a fundamentalist Christian institution, Bob Jones University. But he also favored an overhaul of campaign-finance laws, and that put him at odds with House GOP leaders on a key issue. The official announcement of his appointment is expected today. He refused to comment. The position is subject to Senate confirmation. The DEA is a part of the Department of Justice, and is at the forefront of U.S. drug-interdiction efforts. Hutchinson's departure is unlikely to change the makeup of the House, where Republicans have a 10-vote majority. - --- MAP posted-by: Andrew