Huckabee: Plane Ride No Conflict Of Interest

June 16, 2006

ARKANSAS NEWS BUREAU

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Huckabee's use of a plane provided by a provider that has an $8.5 million contract with the state was an in-kind contribution to  Huckabee's political action comittee, the governor's office said Thursday.

There was no conflict of interest in Hucka­bee's use of the plane provided by the director of the Lord's Ranch youth camp for a flight to Ra­leigh, N.C., to a state Republican convention this month, Huckabee spokesman Alice Stewart said.

"Arrangements were made through the Hope America PAC," she said.

The weekly Arkansas Times of Little Rock reported Thursday that the plane the governor, first lady Janet Huckabee, their daughter, Sarah, a Huckabee aide and at least one state police security officer flew to Raleigh in on June 2 was owned by Southeastern Asset management, a New Hamp­shire corporation managed by Ted Suhl, director of the Lord's Ranch, a religious-based youth home in Warm Springs.

The flight gained atten­tion when Huckabee said the plane developed engine trouble and had to make an emergency landing in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Julie Munsell, spokes­woman for the state Depart­ment of Health and Human Services, said the facil­ity has a state contract paid through Medicaid of about $8.5 million this fiscal year—up from under $140,000 in 2000.

Stewart said Thursday that Suhl is "one of numer­ous plane owners who have offered to provide trans­portation to various candi­dates."

She said the flight was listed as an in-kind contribution, but that the exact cost of the" flight was not known.

The type of plane used, by Huckabee, a Citation SII; costs up to SI,900 an hour!

Huckabee told The Associ­ated Press on Thursday that he was "very careful with my own personal things not to mix that" when asked if the contribution posed a conflict, of interest.

According to the Bureau of Legislative Research, Huckabee spent the $500,000 on 22 things, the most being $100,000 for a group called Play It Again Ar­kansas "to purchase [musical] instruments and provide opera­tional funding." Huckabee has been supportive of that group, which distributes used musical instruments to children.

Among other things, he gave $10,000 to the Hot Springs Doc­umentary Film Institute to buy a car; $97,000 to the Game and Fish Commission's "Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs" program: 10,000 to the city of Little Rock to help in "the development of 'he Mexican Consulate" office; 5,000 for the Arkansas chapter »f the American Red Cross to help "prepare young people to deal with disaster situations." Huckabee's wife, Janet, works for the Red Cross.

Sen. Percy Malone, D-Arkadelphia, made the request at the Joint Budget Committee for a list of everything Huckabee has used the emergency fund for.

"I want to make sure it's not a fund the governor has to use however they want," Malone said. "If that's what we're going