BUSH PLANS TO TAP REP. HUTCHINSON TO RUN DEA

President Bush plans to nominate Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) to head the
Drug Enforcement Administration, administration officials said yesterday.

The administrator, Donnie R. Marshall, told agency employees in a cable
this week that his successor has been chosen, according to DEA spokeswoman
Catherine Shaw. Hutchinson will be nominated later this week, according to
several administration sources.

Hutchinson, 50, said in a statement that he has been in discussions with
the White House about the DEA job, but he declined to say if he has been
selected.

"An announcement of the intent to nominate can be made only by the
president," Hutchinson said. "I am enjoying my work in Congress and my
service to the people of Arkansas, and I will reserve additional comments
pending new developments."

The DEA, an arm of the Justice Department that has an annual budget of $1.2
billion, works to curb the importation and trafficking of illegal drugs.

Hutchinson, a former U.S. attorney serving his third term in the House, was
one of the prosecutors during former president Bill Clinton's impeachment
trial. His brother, Tim Hutchinson, is a U.S. senator from Arkansas.

Asa Hutchinson has established a reputation in the House as a strong
conservative who supports tougher penalties for the sale and use of illegal
drugs, particularly methamphetamine. He also has been a strong proponent of
specialized local drug courts, which combine treatment and punishment for
drug offenders.

Hutchinson, who must be confirmed by the Senate, had been considered a
serious candidate earlier this year for the job of deputy attorney general,
but his prospects were dimmed by his ties to his alma mater, Bob Jones
University, the controversial South Carolina college that until recently
banned interracial dating.

Hutchinson and Attorney General John D. Ashcroft accepted honorary degrees
from Bob Jones at the school's 1999 graduation ceremonies, when Ashcroft
was a senator. The appearance caused Ashcroft trouble during his
confirmation hearings.