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A Son’s Past Deeds Come Back To Bite Huckabee

By Michael Isikoff and Holly Bailey | NEWSWEEK
Dec 24, 2007 Issue | Updated: 2:51 p.m. ET Dec 15, 2007



As Mike Huckabee gains in the polls, the former Arkansas governor is finding that his record in office is getting more scrutiny. One issue likely to get attention is his handling of a sensitive family matter: allegations that one of his sons was involved in the hanging of a stray dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998. The incident led to the dismissal of David Huckabee, then 17, from his job as a counselor at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Ark. It also prompted the local prosecuting attorney— bombarded with complaints generated by a national animal-rights group—to write a letter to the Arkansas state police seeking help investigating whether David and another teenager had violated state animal-cruelty laws. The state police never granted the request, and no charges were ever filed. But John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas's state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee's chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor's request. Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee's Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer's intervention as improper and terminated the conversation. Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee's office and fired. "I've lost confidence in your ability to do your job," Bailey says Huckabee told him. One reason Huckabee cited was "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem," according to Bailey. "Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son," says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a "courageous" and "very solid" professional.

Huckabee called Bailey's account "totally untrue" and described him as a "bitter" exemployee. "I asked him to resign because he had so alienated the entire state police," he said. "It had nothing to do with my son." Brenda Turner, Huckabee's then chief of staff, and Kevin Crass, the Huckabee family lawyer, also disputed Bailey's account, although both acknowledged talking to him about the dog killing. "I asked him, 'Is it normal for the state police to … investigate something that happened at a Boy Scout camp?' " Turner says. "We wanted the same treatment that anybody else would get." (Animal cruelty in Arkansas is a misdemeanor, not a felony.)

The details of the incident remain murky. The Animal Legal Defense Fund got an anonymous fax that summer alleging that David Huckabee and another youth had been involved in the hanging of a stray dog at the camp on July 11. A local animal-rights activist, Joyce Hillard, later contacted the camp director. Notes of Hillard's report to the defense fund read, "Boys confessed & were fired. Dir. is making excuses, saying dog was sic & boys were putting him out of his misery." (The director told NEWSWEEK only that a stray dog was "put down" and that the counselors were fired for violating the Scout credo to be "kind.") The father of the other counselor was quoted by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in August 1998 as saying that his son found the dog "hung over a limb and choking." David Huckabee did not respond to requests for comment. (In April of this year, he was arrested—and paid a fine—when he forgot to remove a loaded gun from his carry-on luggage at Little Rock airport.) His father told NEWSWEEK THAT his son did not engage in "intentional torture." "There was a dog that apparently had mange and was absolutely, I guess, emaciated." A campaign official says David "regrets" the incident and notes that he later made Eagle Scout.




© 2007 Newsweek, Inc.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/78241

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While I feel, in large part, a candidate's children should be left alone by the media, this is a disturbing story. Not just because of the animal cruelty charge, but because then-Governor Huckabee used his office to try and influence the investigation. The kid looks like an extra from "Deliverance" ...
Dave

I haven't paid much attention to Huckabee or any of the candidates to this point.

But this is the sort of stuff that is wrong with American politics....always looking for the smear no matter it isn't something about the candidate.

So what, the guy tried to help his kid....I would think less of him if he didn't.

Not to mention there is very little evidence that he did anything. There was nothing in there that said what was actually done, only what some people speculate. Ex-employee or not, this is a bit of a stretch in any case. To me the more disturbing part was that he tried to check a loaded firearm at the airport!

Quote:

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So what, the guy tried to help his kid....I would think less of him if he didn't.

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At the expense of someone who was doing their job properly, as far as we know.

That's just wrong in soooooo many ways.

How's this any different than President Clinton pardoning his brother Roger for the drug crimes he was involved in.

Politics as usual in America any more .. The two party system we have is ( has been ) broke for some time now folks ! .. Nothing is going to change until the big Mass i the middle put together a viable Third Party . The Key being Viable

Far be it from me to defend BJ Clinton, but he never really claimed to be "The Christian Candidate" as Huckabee's ads do for him in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

The viable 3rd party thing ain't gonna happen ... it has no core, just a fractious group of disaffected so-called "moderates" that don't really agree on anything.

Our 2 party system may be flawed, but it's still the best in the world. Don't hate the "good" in the absence of the "perfect".

How is any of this Huckabee's fault?

He still gets my vote come election.

"Hating the good in the absence of the perfect" is a common phrase ... I wasn't implying that you hate anything and I certainly know that there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to political systems. As far as a "viable" 3rd party goes ... "never say never" is another common saying. So is "monkeys will fly out of my butt before that happens.". I just think it makes more sense to try and make things work inside the existing framework instead of waiting for something to happen that probably won't in our lifetime. You're free to disagree, but the ash-heap of history is piled high with 3rd party candidates.

Thompson is my favorite from the Republican candidates - for his politics. I've never seen him in anything as an actor that I remember. I could also support Giuliani, Romney, and even McCain - in that order. I would never support Huckabee - and not just because of this story. The man is a fraud, IMO.

Unfortunate as it may seem, the very enunciation of his name makes him a non-player in my book.

Damned Anti-Huckite!

jc..

Any one of us would stand by our kid and help them through, and many would and have used their power or influence to garner results.

It's not like he was influencing a murder case. He's human, and the kid was 17, and it was 9 years ago already.

We'd all be viewed as heathens if your past was tattooed on your forehead for life.

Was it right to interfere? Probably not, but most would probably do the same in that position.

You look hard enough, you will find dirt on everyone.

On a positive note........

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA -- Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s presidential campaign had a record fundraising day yesterday.

In a 24-hour period on December 16, the campaign raised $6 million dollars, surpassing the one-day record of $5.7 million held by John Kerry.

During the day, over 58,000 people contributed to Dr. Paul’s campaign, including 24,940 first-time donors. Over 118,000 Americans have donated to the campaign in the fourth quarter.

The $6 million one day total means the campaign has raised over $18 million this quarter, far exceeding its initial fourth quarter goal of $12 million.

"The outpouring of support shows what a powerful message freedom is," said campaign chairman Kent Snyder. "Americans are tired of the same old Washington, and they are rallying around Dr. Paul’s message of freedom, peace and prosperity."

Congressman Paul will be campaigning in Iowa today and will be holding a press conference at 12:45 pm at the Des Moines Marriott in the Des Moines Room. Members of the press are strongly encouraged to attend.

ronpaul2008.com