Bush Taps Hutchinson To Head Drug Agency

Arkansas Business, May 14, 2001

President Bush has tapped Rep. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., to become the next head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The nomination must be approved by the Senate.

Gov. Huckabee will call a special election to fill Hutchinson's 3rd Congressional District seat, assuming Hutchinson's appointment is confirmed.

Hutchinson, 50, was elected to Congress in 1996 and serves on the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug-Free America.

A member of the House Judiciary Committee, Hutchinson was one of 13 Republican prosecutors during former President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. The younger brother of Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., is married with four children.

The DEA is the arm of the Justice Department that has prime responsibility for fighting the illegal drug trade in the U.S. As of last year, the agency employed some 9,132 personnel and had a budget of $1.55 billion.

Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor in Arkansas, said in a statement that he was "deeply honored" to be nominated, adding that he was well-prepared to take on the job of DEA chief.