Legislators react to senator's indictment

‘It’s no secret that we’ve got a problem,’ Senate’s leader in waiting says

Leaders of the Legislature where state Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson served for more than 15 years before being indicted Friday reacted to the news with a common refrain: Some housekeeping is in order.

Hutchinson, who resigned, became the third member of the 91st General Assembly to be criminally charged.

In addition, an ongoing federal investigation into legislative misuse of General Improvement Fund money has netted convictions of or guilty pleas from four former lawmakers. Documents released from that probe also implicated Hutchinson, though his charges Friday appeared unrelated.

As the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former assistant president pro tempore of the Senate, Hutchinson is the highest-profile member of the current Legislature to be ensnared in criminal proceedings.

Adding to the political web surrounding his indictment are his familial ties: his uncle, Asa Hutchinson, is the governor, and his cousin, Sen. Jim Hendren, is the president pro tempore-elect. All three are Republicans.

"It's no secret that we've got a problem in the Legislature," Hendren said. "The first step to solving a problem is recognizing it exists. We've already recognized it in the Senate."

Hendren declined to comment on the specific criminal allegations included in the indictment. He noted that Jeremy Hutchinson will have the opportunity to defend himself in court.

The allegations against Hutchinson in Friday's indictment closely resemble the charges faced by former state Sen. Paul Bookout, D-Jonesboro, in 2015. Bookout, pleading guilty to a mail-fraud charge, admitted transferring about $150,000 in campaign contributions to his personal bank accounts. In 2016, Bookout was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

Hendren pointed to actions already taken by the Senate -- the chamber approved an overhaul of its rules that created an ethics committee and developed new conflict-of-interest requirements, including more disclosure of personal finances. But the leader of the House, Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, has been more cautious.

In a short interview Friday, Shepherd reiterated the need to restore trust in both chambers, but noted that rules already in place had been flouted by those who diminished the Legislature's reputation.

"These aren't gray areas. These are matters of personal integrity," Shepherd said.

Both Shepherd and Hendren said they plan to make ethics reform a top priority over the next few years, though Shepherd said he first plans to finish a "deliberative" review of the current rules to find what changes are needed.

Asked whether his fellow senators were eager for new ethics requirements, Hendren said, "I don't think I'd use the word eager; I think I'd use the word necessary.

"Nobody relishes the idea of having to disclose a whole lot more about the things they're involved with in their businesses and outside of legislative activities, but I think everybody realizes it's necessary to restore confidence in our institutions," Hendren said.

The two other members of the 91st General Assembly who were charged were Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, and Rep. Mickey Gates, R-Hot Springs.

Files resigned after he pleaded guilty in federal court to felony charges of wire fraud, money laundering and bank fraud for pocketing state money he obtained for a Fort Smith softball complex and for pledging a forklift he didn't own as collateral on a bank loan. In June, Files was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $89,903.77 in restitution.

Gates was arrested on six counts of failing to pay state income taxes or file returns. An Arkansas State Police affidavit said he owes almost $260,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest. Gates has said he is innocent.

The current Senate president pro tempore, Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, and Senate Minority Leader Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, didn't return phone messages requesting comment about Jeremy Hutchinson. House Minority Leader Charles Blake, D-Little Rock, could not be reached.

Shepherd, when he chaired the House Judiciary Committee, worked alongside Hutchinson to pass a criminal-justice overhaul package in 2017.

The speaker said the indictment had been "rumored and speculated" about since Hutchinson was referred to as "Senator A" in court papers in June. But Shepherd said he was surprised to see that the charges were related to campaign-finance violations.

Gov. Hutchinson and other officials had taken the stance that lawmakers should resign when charges are filed.

Republican Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin in a statement said that Hutchinson's indictment was "serious, sad, and disappointing." Hutchinson's decision to resign was correct, Griffin added.

The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate and may cast tie-breaking votes.

Within hours of the release of the criminal indictment, the Democratic Party of Arkansas sent out a new fundraising email that referred to the indictment.

And Democrats on the campaign trail -- including gubernatorial candidate Jared Henderson and attorney general hopeful Mike Lee -- released statements blaming the GOP incumbents they are running against for not doing more to stamp out corruption and foul play in the Legislature.

"We have got to get past just the rhetoric of trying to get a win on the scoreboard," said state Rep. Michael John Gray of Augusta, the chairman of the state Democratic Party. "We've got to start running people who care about their districts."

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Sen. Jim Hendren

photo

handout

Matthew Shepherd


RELATED ARTICLE

https://www.arkansa…">Indicted, Sen. Hutchinson resigns

A Section on 09/01/2018

Upcoming Events