SANCHEZ: TULIA CASE ISN'T AN ISSUE

Don't Politicize Drug Sting, He Says; Cornyn Defends Inquiry

TULIA, Texas - Democrat Tony Sanchez said Wednesday that candidates should
not try to politicize a local narcotics sting that state and federal
authorities are investigating.

"It's improper for anybody running for office to politicize this issue,"
the gubernatorial contender said in response to a question after speaking
to about 100 people in downtown Tulia.

Mr. Sanchez, a Laredo businessman trying to oust GOP Gov. Rick Perry, did
not discuss the disputed 1999 drug bust in his remarks, but mentioned that
the Panhandle town has faced national scrutiny because of allegations that
the arrests were racially motivated.

"It's an extremely serious issue, and I'm glad the attorney general has
gotten involved. I hope and pray we have a good resolution to the problem."

Forty-three people, all but six of them black, were indicted in connection
with the July 1999 drug sting. Of those arrested, 11 were found guilty and
17 others accepted plea agreements.

Appeals of numerous convictions are continuing, and civil rights groups
have protested the Tulia bust, raising questions about how the state's drug
task forces conduct investigations.

Last week, Attorney General John Cornyn, the Republican nominee for the
Senate, announced his office would conduct a state investigation. Mr.
Cornyn, who previously had declined to order an examination of the 1999
sting, said he was concerned that a federal inquiry was bogged down.

The federal investigation, which is being handled by the Justice
Department's civil rights division, remains open.

Mr. Cornyn faces Democrat Ron Kirk, who has said the attorney general
should have acted sooner. "The attorney general sat on his hands until it
became a national embarrassment," Mr. Kirk said last week.

Mr. Cornyn rejected that, and said Tuesday on a campaign stop in Lubbock
that politics was not a factor in his decision to launch the state
investigation.

"I would probably be criticized if I did nothing," Mr. Cornyn said. "I
would probably be criticized for what I've done, and I chose to simply to
do my duty as I see it."

Ray Sullivan, a Perry spokesman, said it appears that most candidates in
Texas agree that Mr. Cornyn is exercising the right leadership by
investigating the incident.

"As a result, it will not be a campaign issue," Mr. Sullivan said.

Mr. Cornyn said representatives of his office will go before a House
legislative committee Friday to provide details of how the investigation
will be handled.

Many of the cases against those charged were based solely on the testimony
of Officer Tom Coleman, who said he spent 18 months working undercover to
make the drug cases, which resulted in the arrests of more than 10 percent
of the town's black population.

Mr. Coleman, who is no longer in law enforcement, worked alone and used no
audio or video surveillance. Little or no corroborating evidence was
introduced during the trials. Mr. Coleman was charged with theft and abuse
of power during the investigation. The charges against him were later dropped.