Who’s Taking Shots at King?

February 2, 2007

Archery Target I have a question about the stories that have come out recently that have put AG Troy King in a bad light:

He asked Roy Johnson to hire the mother of a friend while King was heading an investigation of the two-year college system and its chancellor Johnson.
He accepted and did not report use of Alabama Power’s luxury box at Turner Field for himself, family and friends during a Braves game despite the fact that the AG must represent Alabama Power’s customers before the Public Service Commission.
He asked Johnson to provide grant money to a victims advocacy group while the Johnson investigation was on-going.

(Incidentally, King is likely due for more bad press when an investigator in his office, Anthony Castaldo, goes on trial for perjury next month.)

Here is the question: who is the source of all this bad news on Troy King? Or, why is it coming out now? Let us speculate.

These three incidents happened before the November election. Reporters are probably not digging this out on their own all of a sudden. Someone has had this information all along.
If any Democrats had such information and were inclined to release it, they would have no incentive to wait until after the election. Quite the opposite. The media have little reason to hold it and would in fact risk getting scooped.

Perhaps then Republicans are behind these news stories? Are there Republican factions or individuals who would like to undermine Troy King’s gubernatorial ambitions?
Another possibility for the source of the stories: Roy Johnson. The speculation here would be that he is firing warning shots in King’s direction to warn that the investigation of the two-year college system should not get too close to Johnson.
The implied message would be that Johnson might be able to bring King down or at least wound him politically if the state’s investigation pushes too hard. Johnson would not want the stories to come out before the election because presumably he had no leverage over the Democratic AG nominee John Tyson.

A consideration: if the purpose of these stories is to serve as warning shots, then they would not be effective unless there are more arrows in the quiver, so to speak.

What other possibilities are there? Why are these stories coming out now?

I’ve suspected Johnson all along. If he doesn’t have more arrows to shoot it may just be he’s creating smoke trying to distract attention from himself.

Comment by Don — February 2, 2007 @ 10:58 am