Posted on 7/11/2005, 11:23:09 PM by Crackingham
A grand jury indicted Kentucky's Republican Party chairman and two state officials Monday on charges alleging they conspired to violate state personnel laws. The allegations revolve around the state's Merit System jobs and whether a few Republican officials conspired to hire and fire employees based on their political views. Merit System rules prohibit such actions. All three men indicted Monday have close ties to Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
Basil Turbyfill is in charge of filling political positions for Fletcher, and Bob Wilson is part of the governor's Personnel Cabinet. GOP Chairman Darrell Brock was director of local government in Fletcher's office before he took the party job this year. Fletcher's name has appeared in emails presented to the grand jury, but he has not been accused of wrongdoing.
The special grand jury was impaneled by Attorney General Greg Stumbo, a Democrat, to look into alleged violations of the state's version of civil service laws. It had already indicted five other people, all scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Monday's indictment alleges Brock conspired with Transportation Cabinet official Dan Druen to decide state Merit System jobs "based upon their political affiliation or opinion."
Druen, among those previously indicted, was linked to a "hit list" of state personnel targeted for dismissal, transfer or forced retirement.
Turbyfill is accused of conspiring with Druen, Wilson and Tim Hazlette, a personnel official in the Transportation Cabinet who has not been indicted. The indictment alleges they also sought to violate the Merit System, basing personnel decisions on political grounds. Wilson's indictment also alleges he conspired with Turbyfill, Druen and Hazlette.
.... and the prosecution is going to call Hillary Clinton as an expert witness.... since she knows so much about the subject of judging employees on political rather than 'merit' criteria....
..he is the highest ranked 'Rat in Kentucky State Government, therefore he'll be the most rabid amongst the 'Rat Party Elite.
He's still upset about losing the governor's race a few years ago.
We have the Attorney General setting up a state grand jury to investigate alleged misdemeanor charges. The defendants after their indictments were all paraded into court to create a media spectacle - defendants in misdemeanor charges are typically not required to appear in open court - all of them were.
The RPK launches steady criticism of Stumbo's behavior, and lo and behold, the chairman of the RPK gets indicted. Very interesting.
I guess all those years of bumbling Democrat incompetence in Frankfort were a result of positions earned through merit, and not political favors. Right.
Hmm, Yes, It has been. Just heard on the Radio, A.G. "Dumbo" Stumbo, has some ethics problems, too. It seems he has some Properties, not listed, in his Financial disclosures forms....No LMSM (AP/Google...etc.) Reports (Only local reporting)
...YESSIR, Right from, the Dumbo'Rat Party (hacks) that brought us, GITMO ("Caribbean Gulag Archipelago") ...comes this P.O.S. Barbara Streisand...
Well, the Grand Jury was convened in Franklin County (Frankfort) . . . 78% registered Democrats.
Do you mean the Democrat Party in general losing it? Because Greg Stumbo has never run for Governor.
Dr. Grady Stumbo (distant relation at best) ran in the 1987 Democrat Primary and placed 4th in an 8 person race. The three ahead of him were future Governor Wallace Wilkinson, former Governor John Y. Brown and former Governor (now State Senator) Julian Carroll.
Strong rumor going around that Stumbo is going to be a part of the U.S. Attorney's investigation in the Ross Harris - Sen. Johnny Ray Turner federal vote buying case too. What trumps the A.G. indicting Frankfort officials? The U.S. Attorney indicting the Attorney General.
Kewl! ...got popcorn??? [:D
And when you are on a Grand Jury you are told that you are expected to indict unless you have a good argument against it. I was on one for a year and there was only one person that we didn't indict and it was because I pointed out that the charges were obviously trumped up to get the perpetrator out of state court and into Federa.
Not everyone on a grand jury is as savvy as those of us around here...and all of the evidence presented is from only one point of view. The Attorney General keeps on saying there is no way this is political because he didn't make the decision to indict - a group of "ordinary Kentuckians" made the decision, relying on what they hope is the ignorance of the public to get away with that rhetoric.
What is most interesting is that the Attorney General has a state grand jury seated to investigate class B misdemeanors. That's county attorney level offenses (if they even occurred at all), and are normally brought up as charges straight to the court.
If these charges get dismissed in court or aquitted after trial, demonstrating they are trumped up charges, the GOP better have the guts to call for his immediate impeachment.
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