REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN TO HEAD DRUG AGENCY

WASHINGTON - Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, one of the House prosecutors
in former President Clinton's impeachment trial, is President Bush's choice
to head the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Three administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Hutchinson's nomination as head of the agency is expected to be announced
in several days, barring a last-minute hitch in the background review process.

Hutchinson, 50, would succeed acting Director Donnie R. Marshall. The
position is subject to Senate confirmation.

Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, is serving his third term from a
heavily Republican district in northwest Arkansas. He is the brother of
Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., who faces a stiff re-election campaign.

Asa Hutchinson found himself center stage during the impeachment of Clinton
as one of the House prosecutors, and was among the managers of Clinton's
Senate impeachment trial. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate.

A former chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, Hutchinson attended the
University of Arkansas where he received a law degree.

The Drug Enforcement Agency is a part of the Department of Justice, and is
at the forefront of U.S. drug interdiction efforts. It is separate from the
Office of Drug Control Policy, which is a White House-based policy office.

Politically, Hutchinson's record in the House has been that of a fiscal and
social conservative, and he graduated from a fundamentalist Christian
institution, Bob Jones University. However, he also has favored an overhaul
of campaign finance laws, and that put him at odds with House GOP leaders
on a key issue.

John C. Lawn, a former DEA administrator, has been reported under
consideration by the Bush administration as a candidate to succeed Louis J.
Freeh as FBI director.