SENATE CONFIRMS HUTCHINSON TO DEA

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Asa Hutchinson, one of the House prosecutors in former
President Clinton's impeachment trial, has won Senate confirmation to lead
the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"I am thrilled that the Senate had given its consent to my nomination,"
Hutchinson, R-Ark., said after the 98-1 voice vote by the
Democratic-controlled Senate.

"It is difficult to leave Congress, but I am excited to have the
opportunity to serve Arkansas and the country by beginning our great
national crusade against illegal drugs," said Hutchinson, 50.

"This is a moment of great pride for me," said Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark.,
brother of the congressman.

The lone dissenting vote came from Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., who said,
among other things, that he disagreed with Hutchinson's support of "the
escalation of the drug war in Colombia."

Not voting was Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Clinton was impeached by the House on two articles of perjury and
obstruction of justice. The Senate voted to acquit the president in
February 1990.

Asa Hutchinson did not say when he would resign, saying he had to
coordinate the timing with the White House. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
will set dates for the special election to determine who will occupy
Hutchinson's seat after his resignation.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said that Hutchinson "brings unparalleled
experience in public service to the DEA."

Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, is serving his third term from a
heavily Republican district in northwest Arkansas.

As a U.S. attorney for western Arkansas in the 1980s, he prosecuted and won
a guilty plea from Roger Clinton, the former president's half brother, on a
drug charge.

In the House, Hutchinson is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and
the House Speaker's Task Force for a Drug Free America.

A former chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, Hutchinson has a law
degree from the University of Arkansas.

The DEA is part of the Justice Department, and is at the forefront of U.S.
drug interdiction efforts.