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Attorney General Troy King demonstrates that politics can be personal with him (e.g. with Tony Castaldo and Robby Owens), but that doesn’t mean its smart. Continuing to goad district attorneys around the state by sending critical news releases naming individual DA’s who took a public stance opposing King on the Robby Owens issue, well, it simply does not feel politically astute.
Mobile’s Press-Register yesterday:
Fifteen district attorneys were targeted with the customized statements. Their names were inserted into the releases that went to media in their jurisdictions.
A King spokesman said the releases were simply designed to get across his side and to alert local news outlets that their local district attorney was involved. An official with the Alabama District Attorney’s Association said the releases were out of line.
These DA’s are local folks closer to their constituencies than King is, and I don’t see how this plays out well for King. I see King building walls where he should be building bridges.
The Ft. Payne Times-Journal last weekend with Dekalb County District Attorney Mike O’Dell after “King continued to attack O’Dell:”
O’Dell says local district attorneys did not object to King taking over the Shelby County case. They object to what they say is King using it for political gain.
“What we resented is he used that tragic, tragic situation – which has got to be painful for the victims’ families – to politicize and to attack and punish a fellow prosecutor. That’s what we couldn’t take. It’s the fact that he took such cheap shots as another prosecutor when it was unnecessary,” O’Dell said.
“The Troy King I thought I knew for the first few years he was in office, I would have not thought he was capable of doing this. I am ashamed of him. My position is that this is not about Troy King anymore, and it’s not about Robby Owens and it’s not about the personal attacks that he is putting on us. It’s about the people we serve and the people have a right to expect more from its prosecutorial leadership than this.”
Editorials are biting King pretty hard: Montgomery Advertiser, Press-Register, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Tuscaloosa News, TimesDaily.
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Wonder if Riley has watched Becket lately….
Justice is the key word here.
In the course of doing their jobs, prosecutors certainly give voice to the pain and injuries suffered by crime victims. But their job is not to represent victims or their survivors, or to win convictions, or to ensure the maximum punishment is inflicted.
King should remember that prosecutors owe their first allegiance to justice, even if seeking justice might not be politically expedient. The recent case involving the Duke University lacrosse team should serve as a warning of the dangers of prosecutors who forget that.
How dumb can you get? It is bad enough to tick to the DAs as a group, but to single individual DAs out for criticims is beyond stupid. I don’t think Troy really wants DAs having a reason to look over his shoulder, much less review his campaign finances and trips to country music concerts. Nothing good will come of this for T-roy.
*** Today’s letters *** Tuscaloosa News
Published Friday, September 28, 2007
AG news releases embarrassing
Pep Johnston
Supernumerary District Attorney
Aliceville
Dear Editor: Troy King, the political hack who is Alabama’s embarrassing attorney general, recently sent out press releases to newspapers throughout the state accusing local district attorneys of turning their backs on victims of crime. The press releases are identical, except for naming each local DA along with Robbie Owens, the DA in Shelby County, who incurred the wrath of Mr. King for recommending that a death sentence be reduced to life without parole.
In reference to Fayette, Lamar, and Pickens counties, the press release names DA Chris McCool as one who has turned his back on victims. What a bizarre statement! Just this past July, Chris McCool was presented an award as District Attorney of the Year by Troy King.
In 24 years as district attorney for Fayette, Lamar and Pickens counties, I can’t recall an Alabama attorney general who was less knowledgeable about criminal prosecution or who demonstrated less ability in his job. It appears that, having come into office with absolutely zero prosecution experience, he is trying to compensate by putting his temper tantrums into press releases.
Mr. King claims the authority to take over the prosecution of any criminal case brought in this state. Having charged that all these district attorneys have “turned their backs on victims,” he now says that he intends to do just that. It is eerie how much his actions are like that of [former] U.S. Attorney General [Alberto] Gonzales, who fired federal prosecutors and then was forced to resign. Mr. King would do the state a favor by resigning.
Not sure about the political “astuteness” of the press releases, but King was definitely right on the underlying issue. Gamble killed 3 Alabama citizens to earn his seat on death row, prosecutors should not be lining up with him and against his surviving victims to release him from his sentence.
What the DA’s don’t understand (because of their lack of experience in this regard) is that King , as Attorney General, is responsible for all the Death Penalty convictions in the State. King has spent 10 years in the AG’s office and understands appellate law much better than a local prosecutor. A position taken in one of these cases could affect many more of them in a negative way. King couldn’t agree to release a murderer like Gamble just to make the DA’s happy without potentially endangering dozens of other convictions.
It’s too bad the DA’s got all upset with him over this, because they are wrong, but they all hated King anyway. If your remember, these same DA’s all endorsed King’s opponent in the last election, as did the same newspaper editors who are attacking King now.
Thanks Pep. Many former and retired prosecutors feel the same way. I’m sure you too will be attached as being “soft on crime” and “standing against victims.”
[...] Of all the people who might benefit from the rally, I suspect no one will as much as Attorney General Troy King who announced the indictments last month. AG King (no relation to Martin Luther King III) apparently enjoys taking a few swings in public, and he could use a win. This looks like the kind of issue where King could wind up some haymakers and rally some support. Unfortunately, the whole episode may not do much for race relations in the area. [...]
[...] Not only has he pulled a 180, but he attacked the Shelby County DA, saying he was “acting on the side of the criminal.”District Attorneys around the state were pissed. This post covers some of the fallout, including links to the Opinion pages around the state blasting King for being a moron and hypocrite. [...]