Christopher Ruddy
Wednesday, June 6, 2001

Late on Monday Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took a courageous stand and gave notice that in 30 days he plans to give clemency to former municipal judge David Hale, the key government witness in the Whitewater case.

Gov. Huckabee says he will commute Judge Hale's 21-day sentence.

After exhausting all appeals, Hale was slated to be immediately remanded to an Arkansas state prison. In poor physical health with a serious heart condition, Hale could have become another Jim McDougal.

Huckabee's humanitarian decision is an important victory for Judge Hale and for American jstice.

It is also a big victory for NewsMax readers.

On January of this year, I wrote of David Hale's plight and asked our readers across America to telephone, write and e-mail Gov. Huckabee to give Hale clemency. We were the only media outlet to do this. (See Hero of Yesteryear Needs Your Help.)

I am told that the governor’s office was flooded with calls, letters and e-mails. I know some people kept arguing David Hale's case in the intervening period.

After due deliberation, Gov. Huckabee took a moral stand.

Back in January I wrote that Gov. Huckabee was no ordinary politician, but a man with a sterling character.

Politically it is not the easiest thing for Republican Huckabee to have given Hale this commutation.

Arkansas is a state in which Bill and Hillary Clinton continue to have enormous power. The media outlets, few as they are, have been supportive of the Clintons and for years have raked David Hale over the coals.

The Arkansas media believed that Hale, by telling the truth about the Clintons' wrongdoing, made Arkansas look bad before the rest of the country. Some people in Arkansas would have preferred to keep Bill and Hillary's dirty linen in the closet.

But Hale did the right thing by cooperating.

He told the truth. He knows to this day that if he had kept his mouth shut about the Clintons, he would have gotten a slap on the wrist. He could have led a normal life and probably had little jail time to serve.

Hale was the only major witness to fully cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Fiske and later with Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr.

Though he lived up to his part of the bargain, though he spent years hiding as a federal witness under threat of assassination, though his family was brought to the edge of poverty, Hale received among the harshest sentences of all the Whitewater figures.

Even felons like Webb Hubbell, who failed to cooperate with prosecutors, received lighter sentences with less restitution!

But the Clintons were not happy with Hale, who had spilled the beans. He had to pay.

Hale served 18 months in a federal prison, though he was ill and has lived only by life-sustaining medication.

The Clintons weren't happy with that, and local Arkansas prosecutors made noises about prosecuting Hale again on state charges.

It didn't matter that this never happens during a federal case where the witness has cooperated fully with the government.

In yesterday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, local prosecutor Larry Jegley was quoted saying he plans to persuade Gov. Huckabee to stop the clemency.

Jegley continues to do the Clintons' bidding. He has much for which to be thankful to them; his wife Anna holds a top job in the Little Rock U.S. Attorney's office – thanks to the Clintons.

Get the picture?

David Hale didn't have much going for him. Even Ken Starr, who once met Hale at the Little Rock courthouse and assured him he would make sure that Hale would not serve jail time in state prison, did almost nothing for him.

Still, Hale did the right thing, and Americans like you stood with him - and your voice has been heeded by Gov. Huckabee.

The next 30 days are important ones. Under Arkansas state law, the Hale clemency plan is open to comment.

It's important for you to thank Gov. Huckabee for his courageous stand and to let him know you support David Hale's clemency.

To contact Gov. Mike Huckabee:

By phone: 501-682-2345

By fax: 501-682-1382

By mail: Governor's office, State Capitol, Little Rock, AR 72201

By e-mail: CLICK HERE

You can use NewsMax.com's easy PriorityGram to send a letter to Gov. Huckabee. His name and address are conveniently listed under Hot Issues on recipient page. Click Here to enter PriorityGram page.