troy king
The Long And Short Of The AG Race
03/06/10 14:22
Another fabulous political cartoon from the Press-Register's J.D. Crowe:
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Troy King Gets Fake Endorsement?
30/05/10 18:40
A group calling themselves "Tea Party of Alabama" sent out an email blast today endorsing Troy King for Alabama Attorney General.
Get the scoop on the group and the endorsement over at Doc's.
This is just pathetic. Does Troy King not have any real supporters? Does he really have to stoop to making up fake endorsements?
Just another reason to vote for Luther Strange on Tuesday....
Get the scoop on the group and the endorsement over at Doc's.
This is just pathetic. Does Troy King not have any real supporters? Does he really have to stoop to making up fake endorsements?
Just another reason to vote for Luther Strange on Tuesday....
Draft Of Luther Strange Email Sparks Questions For Troy King
24/05/10 15:06
This draft email from the Luther Strange campaign suggests Troy King has been using state cars while on the campaign trail.
It says, "[***J-let me know when you get the footage of PK traveling in state car with TK to Beasley mtg. Will hold on this until we get final]
This correlates with earlier information I had received regarding King's use of state resources for campaign-related activities.
It will be interesting to see if anyone is investigating this, and if not, why not? The law is very clear on the issue.
It says, "[***J-let me know when you get the footage of PK traveling in state car with TK to Beasley mtg. Will hold on this until we get final]
This correlates with earlier information I had received regarding King's use of state resources for campaign-related activities.
It will be interesting to see if anyone is investigating this, and if not, why not? The law is very clear on the issue.
More On The Race For Attorney General
24/05/10 13:43
Lots of news about the Republican primary for Attorney General today.
The Opelika-Auburn News says it's Time For A Change In The Attorney General's Office
The Gadsden Times has a pretty harsh editorial on Troy King: Our View: Crushing Defeat For King
The Opelika-Auburn News says it's Time For A Change In The Attorney General's Office
It’s time for a change in the Alabama Attorney General’s office. Troy King, appointed six years ago by Gov. Bob Riley, has been at odds with the Republican Party and, of late, has been a divisive figure in Alabama politics. His handling of the controversial electronic bingo argument has been questionable at best.He was even investigated by a grand jury.Is this what Alabama citizens want as the state’s top law enforcer? We think not.Luther Strange, a Birmingham attorney, says he wants to do the unfulfilled job King was appointed to do.“Never in the history of Alabama has the governor had to create a task force to do the attorney general’s job,” he said.“I think we’ve got and have had a law enforcement crisis in this state due entirely to his failure to take action. This wasn’t an issue until Troy King came into office. To come along at the 11th hour and take over the task force, he’s just thrown it into more chaos.”It’s time Alabama had an attorney general in office, not a politician.
The Gadsden Times has a pretty harsh editorial on Troy King: Our View: Crushing Defeat For King
The Alabama Supreme Court dealt Attorney General Troy King a severe defeat Friday while reinforcing the strength of the executive branch of state government. Legal battles over electronic bingo will likely continue for some time, but for now a definitive ruling has been issued: Governor outranks attorney general.The state’s high court was less than kind to King in its opinion Friday. He had contended that the attorney general was the state’s top law enforcement officer and that he should have control of any investigations into electronic bingo operations.While Gov. Bob Riley had used his Task Force on Illegal Gambling to shut down electronic bingo halls, King said he would seek court rulings in local jurisdictions. His play was backed by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert Vance, who ruled that King had authority over the task force.Riley appealed to the high court and won. In overruling Vance, justices said they relied on the “simple notion” that the governor sits at the top of the state’s constitutional hierarchy. As far as King’s contention that he should be able to commandeer leadership of the task force, the court was direct: “We reject that argument.”The justices came very close to accusing King of dereliction of duty. The justices said criminal laws regarding gambling have gone unenforced in some areas. Without action by Riley, they wrote, “the law would continue to go unenforced in those counties during Attorney General King’s tenure.”King did not comment last week, but Riley did. “This is a clear, complete and total victory for the rule of law,” he said.He added, “This ruling should put the nail in the coffin for so-called electronic bingo in this state.”Riley may be right, but we won’t bet on this being the end of the legal battles over gambling.Electronic bingo has gained a foothold in the state, however tenuous, and because big money is at stake we anticipate more legal battles, even before Riley leaves office in January.The big loser Friday, though, was King. Just more than a week away from the Republican primary election, the court’s ruling can’t help his campaign.
Birmingham News Endorses Luther Strange
24/05/10 08:33
The Birmingham News endorsed Luther Strange today. Here's what they had to say about Big Luther:
OUR VIEW: Luther Strange is by far the best Republican candidate for Alabama's attorney general, and Michel Nicrosi is our pick of the three solid Democratic choices
By Birmingham News editorial board
May 24, 2010, 5:46AM
Give Troy King credit for this: He has presented a strong case for why Alabamians need to choose carefully when they're picking their top lawyer.
As attorney general, King leaves a lot to be desired. Between seeking and accepting favors and perks, he has compromised his abilities to perform some of the most important duties of his office, such as investigating public corruption.
King sought a job for a friend from one of the chief targets in the two-year college investigation -- which, by the way, involved allegations of handing out jobs as political favors. What was he thinking?
Perhaps even worse were King's actions involving electronic bingo. He was a banner guest at a party thrown by Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, then issued an opinion clearing the way for a dubious bingo enterprise there. King's actions, in our view, helped foster the spread of electronic bingo in the state, and they ended up being the focus of a federal investigation.
The big question is why King thinks voters should re-elect him. Fortunately, Alabama voters have alternatives in the June 1 primaries, both from King's Republican Party and on the Democratic side as well.
OUR VIEW: Luther Strange is by far the best Republican candidate for Alabama's attorney general, and Michel Nicrosi is our pick of the three solid Democratic choices
By Birmingham News editorial board
May 24, 2010, 5:46AM
Give Troy King credit for this: He has presented a strong case for why Alabamians need to choose carefully when they're picking their top lawyer.
As attorney general, King leaves a lot to be desired. Between seeking and accepting favors and perks, he has compromised his abilities to perform some of the most important duties of his office, such as investigating public corruption.
King sought a job for a friend from one of the chief targets in the two-year college investigation -- which, by the way, involved allegations of handing out jobs as political favors. What was he thinking?
Perhaps even worse were King's actions involving electronic bingo. He was a banner guest at a party thrown by Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley, then issued an opinion clearing the way for a dubious bingo enterprise there. King's actions, in our view, helped foster the spread of electronic bingo in the state, and they ended up being the focus of a federal investigation.
The big question is why King thinks voters should re-elect him. Fortunately, Alabama voters have alternatives in the June 1 primaries, both from King's Republican Party and on the Democratic side as well.
New Luther Strange Ad Attacks Troy King on Corruption
14/05/10 13:39
The Luther Strange campaign released a new ad today attacking Troy King on his problems with corruption, and responding to Troy's attempt to connect Big Luther to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Update on the Attorney General Race
07/05/10 13:26
I feel I should disclose my bias in this matter up front: I have openly supported Luther Strange in his campaign for Attorney General for several months now. I am not paid by the campaign or anyone connected with it. I did participate in a television ad for the Luther Strange campaign.
It looks like the Alabama Attorney General's race is about to get a lot more interesting.
Incumbent Troy King took political pandering to a new low last week with his claim that Luther Strange lobbied for the oil company whose rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. In Friday's Press-Register, a spokesman for King said, "that Strange's ties to the oil industry and particularly to Transocean could compromise his ability to serve as the state's top lawyer."
It's ironic that King would be accusing Luther Strange of having a conflict of interest when he has had to step aside and let the Feds conduct two major investigations that the AG's office should have been involved in but couldn't because of King's ties to targets of the investigation. While investigating the junior college scandal King asked Chancellor Roy Johnson for jobs for at least two of his friends. He then had to turn the investigation over to Richard Minor, District Attorney from St. Clair County. In addition, the FBI is handling one of the largest investigations into government corruption the state has ever seen, and where is the AG's office? Not involved. Troy King's ties to the gambling interests has caused a conflict of interest for the AG's office. So you'll have to pardon me if I don't take King's accusation seriously...
It's true that Luther Strange lobbied for Sonat, Inc. which was the parent company of Transocean Offshore Drilling Co. In a statement released Friday he says, "I briefly represented Transocean Offshore Drilling Co. 12 years ago and provided only federal legislative monitoring. Furthermore, it is in no way the same company that it is today. In fact, it has been reincorporated twice through mergers in the past 10 years and my work for them 12 years ago has absolutely no bearing on my intent to pursue all those responsible for the tragedy." In my opinion King is clearly trying to take a bad situation which people are understandably upset about, and use it for his own benefit.
Furthermore, I'm hearing rumors that the AG's office has some scandals of it's own to worry about. Questions are being asked about Troy's assistant JW Godwin and his campaign activities while on the state's payroll. Last Thursday AG Troy King and JW Godwin traveled together in a state car to a campaign event in Huntsville, AL. Pictures taken by the Luther Strange campaign show the state car and the campaign materials they brought with them. When the Strange campaign questioned the AG's office about whether or not JW Godwin had taken leave time to participate in campaign activities, Chief of Staff Chris Bence confirmed that as of 3:00 pm on the day of the event Godwin had not filed a leave slip. The leave slip was filed when Godwin returned (one might infer that was because he was asked about it by the Strange campaign). A member of Luther's campaign staff was told it was consistent with the AG's policy on leave not to file the leave slip until after the leave has been taken.
I feel I should also point out that in addition to his duties in the AG's office, JW Godwin was sent to campaign school, has an iPad purchased by the campaign, and has campaign stationary with his name on it. Clearly Godwin is taking an active role in King's campaign which legally, he has every right to do. What he cannot do is campaign while on state time. The Alabama Code is pretty clear on that point:
Section 17-17-5: Improper use of state property, time, etc., for political activities
No person in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, or a city whether classified or unclassified, shall use any state, county, or city funds, property, or time, for any political activities. Any person who is in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, or a city shall be on approved leave to engage in political action or the person shall be on personal time before or after work and on holidays. It shall be unlawful for any officer or employee to solicit any type of political campaign contributions from other employees who work for the officer or employee in a subordinate capacity. It shall also be unlawful for any officer or employee to coerce or attempt to coerce any subordinate employee to work in any capacity in any political campaign or cause. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of the crime of trading in public office and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined or sentenced, or both, as provided by Section 13A-10-63.
It's also pretty clear on using state resources, i.e.-vehicles, for campaign activities:
Section 36-12-61: Use, etc., of state-owned property for promotion or advancement of interests of candidates for public office.
It shall be unlawful for any officer or employee of the State of Alabama to use or to permit to be used any state-owned property of any character or description, including stationery, stamps, office equipment, office supplies, automobiles or any other property used by him, in his custody or under his control for the promotion or advancement of the interest of any candidate for the nomination or election to any public office of the State of Alabama.
As I said at the top of this post, I am unarguably biased in this race. In writing this post, I'm simply putting the information out there (along with my opinion of course) and I'll leave it to readers to decide whether they think any of the items have any merit.
It looks like the Alabama Attorney General's race is about to get a lot more interesting.
Incumbent Troy King took political pandering to a new low last week with his claim that Luther Strange lobbied for the oil company whose rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. In Friday's Press-Register, a spokesman for King said, "that Strange's ties to the oil industry and particularly to Transocean could compromise his ability to serve as the state's top lawyer."
It's ironic that King would be accusing Luther Strange of having a conflict of interest when he has had to step aside and let the Feds conduct two major investigations that the AG's office should have been involved in but couldn't because of King's ties to targets of the investigation. While investigating the junior college scandal King asked Chancellor Roy Johnson for jobs for at least two of his friends. He then had to turn the investigation over to Richard Minor, District Attorney from St. Clair County. In addition, the FBI is handling one of the largest investigations into government corruption the state has ever seen, and where is the AG's office? Not involved. Troy King's ties to the gambling interests has caused a conflict of interest for the AG's office. So you'll have to pardon me if I don't take King's accusation seriously...
It's true that Luther Strange lobbied for Sonat, Inc. which was the parent company of Transocean Offshore Drilling Co. In a statement released Friday he says, "I briefly represented Transocean Offshore Drilling Co. 12 years ago and provided only federal legislative monitoring. Furthermore, it is in no way the same company that it is today. In fact, it has been reincorporated twice through mergers in the past 10 years and my work for them 12 years ago has absolutely no bearing on my intent to pursue all those responsible for the tragedy." In my opinion King is clearly trying to take a bad situation which people are understandably upset about, and use it for his own benefit.
Furthermore, I'm hearing rumors that the AG's office has some scandals of it's own to worry about. Questions are being asked about Troy's assistant JW Godwin and his campaign activities while on the state's payroll. Last Thursday AG Troy King and JW Godwin traveled together in a state car to a campaign event in Huntsville, AL. Pictures taken by the Luther Strange campaign show the state car and the campaign materials they brought with them. When the Strange campaign questioned the AG's office about whether or not JW Godwin had taken leave time to participate in campaign activities, Chief of Staff Chris Bence confirmed that as of 3:00 pm on the day of the event Godwin had not filed a leave slip. The leave slip was filed when Godwin returned (one might infer that was because he was asked about it by the Strange campaign). A member of Luther's campaign staff was told it was consistent with the AG's policy on leave not to file the leave slip until after the leave has been taken.
I feel I should also point out that in addition to his duties in the AG's office, JW Godwin was sent to campaign school, has an iPad purchased by the campaign, and has campaign stationary with his name on it. Clearly Godwin is taking an active role in King's campaign which legally, he has every right to do. What he cannot do is campaign while on state time. The Alabama Code is pretty clear on that point:
Section 17-17-5: Improper use of state property, time, etc., for political activities
No person in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, or a city whether classified or unclassified, shall use any state, county, or city funds, property, or time, for any political activities. Any person who is in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, or a city shall be on approved leave to engage in political action or the person shall be on personal time before or after work and on holidays. It shall be unlawful for any officer or employee to solicit any type of political campaign contributions from other employees who work for the officer or employee in a subordinate capacity. It shall also be unlawful for any officer or employee to coerce or attempt to coerce any subordinate employee to work in any capacity in any political campaign or cause. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of the crime of trading in public office and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined or sentenced, or both, as provided by Section 13A-10-63.
It's also pretty clear on using state resources, i.e.-vehicles, for campaign activities:
Section 36-12-61: Use, etc., of state-owned property for promotion or advancement of interests of candidates for public office.
It shall be unlawful for any officer or employee of the State of Alabama to use or to permit to be used any state-owned property of any character or description, including stationery, stamps, office equipment, office supplies, automobiles or any other property used by him, in his custody or under his control for the promotion or advancement of the interest of any candidate for the nomination or election to any public office of the State of Alabama.
As I said at the top of this post, I am unarguably biased in this race. In writing this post, I'm simply putting the information out there (along with my opinion of course) and I'll leave it to readers to decide whether they think any of the items have any merit.
New Luther Strange Press Release
03/05/10 14:05
From the Luther Strange campaign:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2010
Contact: Jessica Garrison, Campaign Manager 205-568-4371 www.lutherstrange.com/troy-king-gambling-money-trail
Troy King Holds Massey Money as Grand Jury Meets
BIRMINGHAM, Ala-- As a federal grand jury starts to hear evidence this week in the bingo bill vote-buying scandal, Alabama Attorney General Troy King continues funding his reelection campaign with thousands of dollars in contributions from Country Crossing lobbyist Jarrod Massey who is at the center of the government's corruption case.
"King owes the people of Alabama an explanation about why he continues to hold onto money funneled through political action committees tied to Massey," said Republican candidate for attorney general, Luther Strange.
"Likewise, King owes us an answer about why he, as the Attorney General, is not participating in the investigation centered on Massey and the Alabama State Legislature. Is it because King is compromised and unable to participate due to his personal relationships with those involved? It would not be the first time. In fact, it has been a pattern for King to step aside from public corruption cases like the two year college investigation, because he is personally connected to the people involved. In Massey's case, King had the chance to avoid being wrapped up in the scandal."
In February, King made a public pledge to return campaign contributions from gambling interests, including PACS which accepted gambling funds. To this date, King has not returned $100 thousand that was donated to his campaign through Massey's business and PACs.
Since March, Strange has been calling on King to uphold his pledge and return gambling money. Last week, Strange delivered a letter to King's office, renewing his call and asking for an explanation about King's ties to Massey.
"The money trail is clear. It's all shown in public records," Strange said. "Even if he can't trace it dollar-for-dollar, King promised to return money from PACS that accepted any funds from gambling interests. His pledge was bold and he should honor that promise."
A copy of Strange's letter to King is attached to this email message. The letter, along with public records of King's campaign contributions and charts detailing the trail of donations from Massey to King, are all available by visiting www.lutherstrange.com/troy-king-gambling-money-trail.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2010
Contact: Jessica Garrison, Campaign Manager 205-568-4371 www.lutherstrange.com/troy-king-gambling-money-trail
Troy King Holds Massey Money as Grand Jury Meets
BIRMINGHAM, Ala-- As a federal grand jury starts to hear evidence this week in the bingo bill vote-buying scandal, Alabama Attorney General Troy King continues funding his reelection campaign with thousands of dollars in contributions from Country Crossing lobbyist Jarrod Massey who is at the center of the government's corruption case.
"King owes the people of Alabama an explanation about why he continues to hold onto money funneled through political action committees tied to Massey," said Republican candidate for attorney general, Luther Strange.
"Likewise, King owes us an answer about why he, as the Attorney General, is not participating in the investigation centered on Massey and the Alabama State Legislature. Is it because King is compromised and unable to participate due to his personal relationships with those involved? It would not be the first time. In fact, it has been a pattern for King to step aside from public corruption cases like the two year college investigation, because he is personally connected to the people involved. In Massey's case, King had the chance to avoid being wrapped up in the scandal."
In February, King made a public pledge to return campaign contributions from gambling interests, including PACS which accepted gambling funds. To this date, King has not returned $100 thousand that was donated to his campaign through Massey's business and PACs.
Since March, Strange has been calling on King to uphold his pledge and return gambling money. Last week, Strange delivered a letter to King's office, renewing his call and asking for an explanation about King's ties to Massey.
"The money trail is clear. It's all shown in public records," Strange said. "Even if he can't trace it dollar-for-dollar, King promised to return money from PACS that accepted any funds from gambling interests. His pledge was bold and he should honor that promise."
A copy of Strange's letter to King is attached to this email message. The letter, along with public records of King's campaign contributions and charts detailing the trail of donations from Massey to King, are all available by visiting www.lutherstrange.com/troy-king-gambling-money-trail.
###
New Poll Numbers in Alabama Governor/Attorney General Races
30/03/10 17:51
PPP released news poll numbers on the governor and attorney general races today. The news is good for AG candidate Luther Strange, who is in a statistical dead heat with incumbent Troy King. It's bad news for Troy King who is polling under 50% and tied with a challenger that has yet to run any ads.
On the gubernational side, Bradley Byrne seems to have broken out of his rut with 27%. Roy Moore is holding pretty steady at 23%. The news was really bad for Tim James. He came in at 9%, behind Dr. Robert Bentley and Treasurer Kay Ivey who were tied at 10%.
On the gubernational side, Bradley Byrne seems to have broken out of his rut with 27%. Roy Moore is holding pretty steady at 23%. The news was really bad for Tim James. He came in at 9%, behind Dr. Robert Bentley and Treasurer Kay Ivey who were tied at 10%.
King Says Investigation Into AG's Office Has Ended
12/03/10 13:57
**UPDATE: The Decatur Daily agrees with me.**
Alabama Attorney General Troy King says a federal grand jury investigation of him and his office has ended. For the full story, click here.
Rumors have been flying around Alabama for the last month of a major FBI investigation of officials in Alabama. Because of King's already open investigation, and because of his documented ties to the gambling cartel in Alabama, it was speculated that King may have been one of the targets of that investigation. I'm not sure what this news means in terms of the rumored investigation, or if King was, in fact, a target.
In my opinion, AG Troy King has skirted the ethical line one too many times. For instance, King was featured as a special guest at this event hosted by Ronnie Gilley, owner of Country Crossings (which operates an "electronic bingo" hall), three months before issuing a ruling clearing the way for Gilley to get a gambling permit.
Enterprise Fundraiser Invite
King has had country singer Randy Owen doing $500 per plate fundraisers for his re-election campaign. Owen has a large financial stake in the Country Crossings devleopment--site preperation has already started on the "Randy Owen My Home's in Alabama Family Entertainment Center" at the venue.
His ties with Gilley and Country Crossings have netted him a relationship with several country music stars other than Owen. Here's King is pictured with Ronnie Gilley and country singer George Jones:
And if all that is not enough, during the 2006 election cycle, King received two campaign contributions totaling $1500 from Crum Foshee & Associates during the 2006 election cycle. Crum Foshee and Associates have represented several gambling facilites including the Jefferson County Racing Association and the Macon County Greyhound Park.
At best, these are conflicts of interest that should have prevented King from ruling on or regulating these entities. He is walking very, very fine eithical lines. The mere fact that the AG's office was under investigation is embarrassing for the state and presumably for the Attorney General. So while Troy King may be celebrating the end of a grand jury investigation, he should be worried about what the voters will think come June 1.
Alabama Attorney General Troy King says a federal grand jury investigation of him and his office has ended. For the full story, click here.
Rumors have been flying around Alabama for the last month of a major FBI investigation of officials in Alabama. Because of King's already open investigation, and because of his documented ties to the gambling cartel in Alabama, it was speculated that King may have been one of the targets of that investigation. I'm not sure what this news means in terms of the rumored investigation, or if King was, in fact, a target.
In my opinion, AG Troy King has skirted the ethical line one too many times. For instance, King was featured as a special guest at this event hosted by Ronnie Gilley, owner of Country Crossings (which operates an "electronic bingo" hall), three months before issuing a ruling clearing the way for Gilley to get a gambling permit.
Enterprise Fundraiser Invite
King has had country singer Randy Owen doing $500 per plate fundraisers for his re-election campaign. Owen has a large financial stake in the Country Crossings devleopment--site preperation has already started on the "Randy Owen My Home's in Alabama Family Entertainment Center" at the venue.
His ties with Gilley and Country Crossings have netted him a relationship with several country music stars other than Owen. Here's King is pictured with Ronnie Gilley and country singer George Jones:
And if all that is not enough, during the 2006 election cycle, King received two campaign contributions totaling $1500 from Crum Foshee & Associates during the 2006 election cycle. Crum Foshee and Associates have represented several gambling facilites including the Jefferson County Racing Association and the Macon County Greyhound Park.
At best, these are conflicts of interest that should have prevented King from ruling on or regulating these entities. He is walking very, very fine eithical lines. The mere fact that the AG's office was under investigation is embarrassing for the state and presumably for the Attorney General. So while Troy King may be celebrating the end of a grand jury investigation, he should be worried about what the voters will think come June 1.