Hutchinson, Asa 1950-

Asa Hutchinson
1950-

U.s. Representative, Impeachment Prosecutor

Arkansas Roots

Asa Hutchinson was born in Gravette, Arkansas, on 3 December 1950. He attended Arkansas public schools and received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Bob Jones University in 1972. He earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1975, where Bill Clinton taught, although Hutchinson did not take any of his classes. In 1986 the Arkansas Jaycees named him one of the ten outstanding young leaders in the state.

Political History

In 1977 Hutchinson assumed his first public office as city attorney for Bentonville, Arkansas. From 1982 to 1985 he served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Hutchinson was, at age thirty-one, the youngest federal prosecutor in the country. During his tenure as U.S. Attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) awarded Hutchinson a citation for his successful prosecution of a terrorist group in northern Arkansas known as the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord. In 1984 he brought a cocaine-distributing charge against Roger Clinton, the half brother of Governor Bill Clinton. Roger Clinton pleaded guilty. Hutchinson then practiced law for the Fort Smith firm of Karr 8¢ Hutchinson. In 1986 he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from Arkansas. From 1990 to 1995 Hutchinson served as chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

Congressman

In 1996 Hutchinson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Third Congressional District in Arkansas. He filled the seat vacated by his brother Timothy "Tim" Hutchinson, who left the House to run for the U.S. Senate. While in Congress, Hutchinson served on the Judiciary Committee (Constitution and Crime Subcommittees), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (Aviation and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittees), and Government Reform Committee (Criminal Justice Subcommittee). As a House member, Hutchinson focused his attention on several national issues, including campaign finance reform and youth drug use. Hutchinson also served on the U.S. House Speakers Task Force for a Drug-Free America. In 1995 he was appointed to represent the interests of the elderly as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging.

Impeachment

As one of thirteen House prosecutors during the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton, Hutchinson was assigned the critical job of proving the president had devised a scheme to obstruct justice in an effort to hide his relationship with former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky. In his opening statement, Hutchinson argued that Clinton's sworn testimony established a pattern of "false statements, deceit, and obstruction." With these actions, he continued, the President moved beyond questionable and embarrassing private conduct into the public arena. The Arkansas congressman accused Clinton of not only lying under oath, but of obstructing justice by soliciting and encouraging false statements by others. Not to prosecute the president for these offenses would be tantamount to accepting that wealthy and powerful individuals are above the law, Hutchinson contended. After a failed attempt to call witnesses, Hutchinson, along with several other House managers, introduced to the Senate jurors both the written and videotaped testimonies of Clinton, Lewinsky, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., and Betty Currie. While many legal and political observers regarded Hutchinson as the strongest and most persuasive of the House lawyers, he, along with the other impeachment managers, was ultimately unsuccessful in his role as prosecutor. On 12 February 1999 the Senate acquitted Clinton on both Articles of Impeachment.

Sources:

Bob Woodward, Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999).