| We will leave it up to the reader to
determine whether Mike Huckabee has made serious errors in judgment. Mr Huckabee has
supported a Conservative Christian position especially when it comes to Church and State
issues, but he has raised taxes. It
is apparent from the data collected, that the Constitution and First Amendment may be in
danger from his past and future actions.
There are several ethics violations involving his stint
as governor of Arkansas. We can not tolerate the continuation of the Bush philosophy
of violating ethics, breaking the law and ignoring the law breaking.
Mike Huckabee's office like others we called, stated that
his position is that Hinduism or Islam aren't "Real" religions." What
is a real religion, Mr. Huckabee? What you have been practicing? Read the
following and remember: "By their Works may they be known." This is a
summary of information collected from several sources about Mike Huckabee.
(Remember it is best to investigate on your own when
looking at allegations about anyone. Don't believe us, think for
yourself and investigate for yourself! And remember, the Religious Freedom Coalition
of the Southeast, does not represent any political party nor do we recommend any political
candidate, nor are we involving ourselves in the political process. This information
is only for students of Mike Huckabee)
Full Name: Michael Dale
Huckabee
Political Office: Governor of
Arkansas, 1996-Jan. 2007; Lt. Governor of
Arkansas, 1993-96.
Business/Professional Experience: Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church (Pine Bluff, Ark.), 1980-85; President
and Founder, ACTS 24 Hour Channel, 1983-1986; Pastor, Beech Street First Baptist Church
(Texarkana, Ark.), 1986-1992; President, KBSC-TV (Texarkana, Ark.), 1987-1992; President,
Cambridge Communications (Texarkana, Ark.), 1992-1996.
Associations/Non-profit: Part
time Director, Center for Education and Public Policy Ouachita Baptist University;
Co-chairman, The Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Founder, past president American
Christian Television Systems (Pine Bluff, Ark.); Former President Arkansas Baptist
Convention, 1989-91; Former Chairman, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission; Former
Chairman, Southern Governors' Association.
Date of Birth: August 24, 1955
Place of Birth: Hope, Ark.
Education: B.A., Religion,
Ouachita Baptist University, 1976; Postgrad., Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary (Fort Worth, Tex.), 1977; L.H.D., John Brown
Univ, 1991; LL.D., Ouachita Baptist University, 1992.
Certification: Ordained to
ministry Southern Baptist Convention, 1974.
Spouse: Married Janet McCain,
May 25, 1974
Children: Sons: John Mark and
David; daughter: Sarah.
ETHICS VIOLATIONS:
June 25, 2002 Excerpt from an article about Mike
Huckabee in the New York Times: The state's former executive chief information officer,
Randall Bradford, said he and other employees were pressured to donate to Gov. Mike
Huckabee's re-election campaign. Governor Huckabee, a Republican, fired Mr. Bradford last
month, saying he was not trustworthy. Mr. Bradford, who was paid $150,000 a year, told The
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he was fired for refusing orders to stonewall legislators
about the state's troubled new computer system.
October 31, 2002 Excerpt from and article about Mike
Huckabee in the New York Times: Mr. Huckabee was already being accused of having
pretensions to royalty. For example, he accepted $23,000 in clothing and gift certificates
from Jennings Osborne, a wealthy supporter and appointee, in 2000 alone, then sued to
block the state ethics commission from investigating such gifts.
November 21, 2007, Excerts from and article by Kenneth P.
Vogel in Politico.com: At present, his career has also been colored by 14 ethics
complaints and a volley of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of
campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his
destruction of state computer files on his way out of the governor’s office.
Some of the ethics complaints deal with fairly penny ante stuff, and most were dismissed.
They did, however, yield five admonitions and $1,000 in fines from Arkansas' Ethics
Commission and, perhaps more significantly, a pattern-of-corruption theme Democrats used
to pound Republicans in the 2006 midterm elections.
In fact, when Huckabee entered the presidential race in January, the Democratic National
Committee was quick to
highlight a couple of the ethics issues that have dogged him and urged him to come
clean about his … history of ethical lapses:
Huckabee Depletes Emergency Fund, Destructs Government
Property as He Leaves Office. "Former Gov. Mike
Huckabee depleted the governor's office emergency fund in the final weeks of his
administration in part to pay for the destruction of computer hard drives in his office.
That left Gov. Mike Beebe, who replaced Huckabee on Jan. 9, with no emergency funds for
the last half of fiscal 2007. Documents that the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained under
the Freedom of Information Act, describe the destruction of the computer drives, as
ordered by Huckabee's office, and Huckabee complaining strongly about his cell phone and
Blackberry not working" [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/19/07]
Huckabee Defended Tax Hikes. Governor Huckabee had to rebut criticisms from "fiscally
responsible" Republican groups such as the Cato Institute and the Club for Growth,
that during his tenure as Governor he raised taxes. On the defensive, Huckabee
acknowledged that any tax increases were for important public purposes, and that he cut
other taxes. [New York Times, 1/29/07]
Huckabee Defended Parole of Convicted Rapist Who Later
Committed Murder. Governor Huckabee found himself
defending the "parole, during Huckabee's governorship, of convicted rapist Wayne
Dumond, who later committed a murder in Missouri. Huckabee said he regretted Dumond's
actions but denied playing a proactive role in the release decision by Arkansas' parole
board, and claimed that most of the board's members had been appointed by his
predecessors." [New York Times, 1/29/07]
After Huckabee fielded ethics questions last weekend on
“Fox News Sunday,” campaign aides for former Tennessee Sen. Fred
Thompson, who’s competing with Huckabee for socially conservative voters, put out
a
statement accusing Huckabee of “repeatedly dodg[ing] questions about his ethical
problems.”
Huckabee’s campaign, in a statement to Politico, said it was “suspect” that
the ethics issues are being raised as Huckabee surges in the polls and said Huckabee
repeatedly addressed the issues during his time as governor.
The campaign said the state ethics commission, which Huckabee sued twice, “has been
misused as a weapon against Republicans” and that Huckabee “has been unfairly
attacked regarding his ethics history while governor of Arkansas.”
On “Fox News Sunday,” Huckabee called the ethics complaints “pure
nonsense” — the product of rough-and-tumble Arkansas politics.
And he said they’ll actually make him a stronger presidential candidate.
“The one thing it proves is that I’m prepared for a presidential campaign.
I’ve been through this stuff,” he told host Chris Wallace. “I don’t
have a glass jaw.”
That jaw will likely continue to be tested as opponents and the national media delve more
deeply into these areas:
Campaign Cash
The ethics commission fined Huckabee $1,000 for failing to report that he paid himself
$14,000 from his 1992 U.S. Senate campaign and $43,000 from his 1994 lieutenant governor's
campaign.
The latter payment — for the use of his eight-seat, twin-engine plane — was
reported in a cryptic way that didn’t identify Huckabee and his wife as the owners of
the plane.
Huckabee sued the commission, alleging its investigation
into the campaign payments violated state rules and his due process rights.
And he asked the judge to impose a statute of limitations on ethics complaints.
The commission, whose director accused Huckabee of trying “to shut the commission
down,” sued Huckabee for trying to quash its subpoenas, though both sides dropped
their suits after reaching an out-of-court settlement.
Action America
The commission found Huckabee unintentionally failed to disclose $23,500 he received from
a nonprofit organization set up to handle his speaking engagements and supplement his
income before he became governor.
The nonprofit, Action America, paid Huckabee a total of $41,500 in 1994 and 1995 but
missed IRS filing deadlines for those years.
Huckabee has repeatedly declined to disclose the handful of benefactors who financed the
group.
After Huckabee’s “Fox News Sunday” appearance, Thompson’s campaign
accused the former governor of using Action America to “funnel his speaking fees
through the organization and avoid disclosure requirements.”
Gifts
According to Huckabee’s disclosure reports, he accepted more than 300 gifts worth at
least $130,000, ranging from $3,700 cowboy boots to a $600 chainsaw and $250 worth of
dental care.
Plenty of politicians accept gifts of all sorts, but Huckabee had problems with Arkansas
gift rules that bar public officials from accepting rewards for official action and
require them to report the value and source of gifts.
He alleged in a second lawsuit against the commission that the rules were
unconstitutionally vague.
Meanwhile, commissioners were investigating a $500 canoe that Coca-Cola gave him and
ultimately fined him $250 for accepting it because they said it rewarded him for doing his
job.
A judge later overturned the canoe decision but upheld an admonition for Huckabee’s
failure to report receiving a $200 stadium blanket the same year.
Governor’s Mansion
In 1998, a former governor’s mansion employee and others sued Huckabee over his
assertion that $70,000 worth of furniture donated to the governor's mansion was his to
keep, as well as his family’s use of a $60,000-a-year fund.
The fund had been used to pay for pizza, a doghouse, a magazine subscription and pantyhose
for Huckabee’s wife, Janet, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The suit was settled with Huckabee admitting no wrongdoing but acknowledging a
"dispute regarding reimbursements” and making clear the furniture was for the
mansion.
'Wedding' Registry
As the Huckabees prepared to leave the governor’s mansion last year for a private
home in the Little Rock suburbs, Janet Huckabee’s friends set up registries on two
stores' websites listing $7,000 worth of housewarming gifts, ranging from napkins to a
$300 KitchenAid mixer.
Arkansas newspapers quoted state lawmakers criticizing the registries, which were listed
as “wedding” registries, even though the Huckabees have been married since 1974.
Huckabee explained the only option other than weddings was baby showers.
And the couple lashed out at Arkansas media for their coverage of the registries, which
Janet Huckabee told the Democrat-Gazette did “permanent damage.”
Computer Drives
Before leaving office Jan. 9, Huckabee spent $13,000 in state funds to destroy the hard
drives of nearly 100 computers in the governor’s office.
He pointed out that he had backed up the data and argued that the hard drive destruction
was standard practice to prevent the dissemination of sensitive information related to
employees or constituents.
Critics suggested he was hiding something. But the ethics commission dismissed complaints
alleging violations of record management rules.
That might not be the end of the story, though.
A lawyer is suing Huckabee, alleging that he misspent state money on the destruction.
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