A special prosecutor for Casinogate

An announcement, via email, from the state attorney general’s office about the investigation of campaign contributions Governor Culver received from gambling interests who are interested in getting one of those new casino liceses.  Attorney General Tom Miller will ask the state Executive Council to hire a special prosecutor.  The pdf sent by Miller’s office is a bit problematic; I’ll post it as soon as I can.  Here’s the key part of the release:

“…I have concluded this office has no actual conflict of interest in this case.  However, I have also concluded that there is an appearance of a conflict of interest in this matter that is sufficient to lead me to seek a special prosecutor for this action.”

Miller is recommending Larry Scalise for the job of special prosecutor. Scalise was chairman of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, during Governor Branstad’s administration, from 1983 to 1988.

Thanks to Learfield’s HelpDesk for taking the unusable pdf image, running ‘text recognition” and getting us the following text…we now present Attorney General Tom Miller’s statement:

I have decided that my office will ask the Executive Council to appoint a special prosecutor to handle the matter concerning alleged improper contributions from Fort Dodge gambling interests to Governor Culver’s campaign committee. Specifically, we will ask that Des Moines attorney Lawrence (Larry) F. Scalise be appointed to prosecute the case.

After careful consideration, I have concluded this office has no actual conflict of interest in this case. However, I have also concluded that there is an appearance of a conflict of interest in this matter that is sufficient to lead me to seek a special prosecutor for this action.

This was not an easy decision. My office has very rarely withdrawn from a case in this manner. However, I believe the need for public confidence in the criminal justice process outweighs any other consideration. The public has the right to a criminal prosecution that is not subject to any unnecessary suspicion about its impartiality or objectivity.

Mr. Scalise is exceptionally well qualified for this task. He is a life-long resident of Iowa. He was an Assistant Polk County Attorney (1959-61), Director of the Law Enforcement Division of the Iowa Liquor Control Commission (1963), and Attorney General ofIowa (1965-67). He has
for many years been a successfullawyer in private practice in Des Moines.

Mr. Scalise has a long history of public service. He was appointed by Governor Ray as the Vice Chairman of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Commission (1974-77). He was appointed by Governor Branstad as the first Chairman of the Iowa State Racing and Gaming Commission (1983-88), to guide the Commission through its crucial initial years.

Mr. Scalise accepted an assignment with the Federal Government as Deputy Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel in the matter of Henry Cisneros, then the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1995-2002).

UPDATE:  

DES MOINES — Today Governor Chet Culver made the following statement in response to the Attorney General’s announcement that he would be recusing himself from the current investigation and any possible future prosecution of anyone or any entity for any violation of state campaign contribution laws.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR CULVER

“In Iowa, every candidate for public office expects that contributions to their campaigns will be lawfully made—and that any violations of those laws will not be tolerated.

“Neither the Governor’s office nor the Culver-Judge campaign has any reason to believe that anyone with either organization is a target in the investigation.  Both the Governor’s office and the campaign office have fully cooperated with the investigators at my direction.

“I hope that today’s action by the Attorney General will help to move the investigative process forward in a timely and orderly way and bring any and all pending legal matters to a firm resolution.”